but as soon as they tasted blonde roast, boy they were on board. ♪ good morning. breaking news. overnight, north korea conducts its most powerful underground nuclear test yet. the white house calling it highly provocative on the day the president delivers his state of the union address. vatican intrigue, is there more to pope benedict's sudden decision to step down? and who might replace him? is there any chance the next pope could be an american? we're live in vatican city with new details. and nightmare, passengers on a cruise chip stranded in the gulf of mexico say conditions are getting worse and there's word this morning that their journey will be even longer

"today," tuesday, february 12th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. important news breaking overnight. u.n. security council is going to hold an emergency meeting this morning to address north korea's overnight nuclear test. >> this is north korea's third nuclear test, but the first under its new leader, kim jong un. we'll have a live report from the pentagon straight ahead. a big development in the story we've been following, two men now charged in connection with the murder of a 15-year-old chicago girl who performed at the president's inauguration. we'll get reaction to that news from her parents who, by the way, will attend tonight's state of the union address with the first lady. we'll also talk to a senior white house adviser about the

pre's address. then we'll take a turn. you may have heard of snap chat. it lets you send a picture and control how long people view it. we told you some parents are raising concerns about its safety. coming up, what its young founder has to say about that. sports illustrated is out with its swimsuit issue today. the woman on the cover? same woman on the cover last year. ho-hum. kate upton. that is an amazing shoot in antarctica. kate will join us live to talk about that. and then why is al weathering the elements in this new psa? he will explain. nuclear test overnight from a defiant north korea. nbc's jim miklaszewski is at the pentagon this morning. mick, what can you tell us? >> nobody was surprised by the test itself. they knew it was coming. no one knew the exact timing. this one, in fact, has set off

alarm bells. early readings are that this nuclear device that was tested may be three to six times more powerful than any previous nuclear test by the north koreans. the north koreans also claim that they did it with a much smaller device, perhaps meaning that they have made progress in miniaturizing nuclear weapons that could be put on the top of ballistic missiles that could ultimately threaten the united states. nobody is confirming that yet but it's got everybody's attention. now today's test drew a rapid and strong response from the white house. the president condemned the blast, saying it threatens u.s. security and that the danger posed by north korea's threatening activities warrants further, swift and credible action by the international community. the united states will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies. now, the u.n. security council in new york has called an emergency session to discuss ratcheting up sanctions against north korea, but the reality is that north korea is pretty much

sanctioned out already. unless china steps up and agrees to impose strict sanctions against north korea, it appears that they will continue on this course to develop nuclear weapons. and this test today, following the test of a ballistic missile last december should put to rest any claims or hopes that the current 29-year-old north korean leader kim jong un is any different from his father, kim jong il. there's a difference in styles but kim jong un seems just as intent on creating a nuclear weapon that will put north korea in a powerful position as a nuclear threat in that region. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon for us this morning. jim, thanks. now here's matt. we're learning more this morning about the vatican's plans to elect a new pope in the wake of pope benedict's surprise decision to resign at the end of this month. richard engel is in vatican

city. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the reaction here in st. peter's square to what the pope has done has been overwhelming positive, with people calling it an act of humility and courage, to make way for a younger man. 24 hours later, there's still shock in the vatican city. >> shock, disappointed, sad. >> reporter: this morning, roman catholics, tourists and even some church officials wondered if this can be a moment to revitalize the church, after pope benedict xvi's unexpected decision to step down. >> personally, i didn't agree with a lot of the things that he believed and preached. >> i hope this will bring change to the church. >> reporter: in making his announcement, the 85-year-old pontiff, who has been looking frail, asked for forgiveness. i have to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me, he told a gathering of cardinals in

latin, saying his advanced age forced the decision. moments later these pictures circulated the web. more than 700 years ago when a pope abdicated the throne. they are reluctant to leave so they don't send mixed messages or contradict the new pope. the pope's brother spoke in the last few hours. >> perhaps the new pope will ask for his advice but you notice the aging process impacts body and soul. the younger person is needed to deal with today's problems. >> although there's no evidence to suggest a motive, other than old age, the pope's unusual departure has left some wonderin wondering. >> only know what we've been told at the moment. >> reporter: pope benedict will eventually move to a monastery,

praying and reflecting. his age and the weight of scandals, especially revelations of sexual abuse by priests may have gotten to the scholarly pontiff. bets are already being placed on who will lead the more than 1 billion roman catholics when the pope steps down at the end of the month. the pope will not take place in the conclave to choose his successor. vatican officials hope a new pope will be in place by easter, matt. >> richard engel in vatican city. thank you very much. father robert barron is director of the monline in chicago. good morning. >> good to see you. >> let's talk about the criteria. what will the cardinals be looking for in a candidate when they head into the conclave? >> especially now they're looking for an evangelist.

that jesus has risen from the dead, and under that you look at theological acumin, knowledge of language. after john paul ii it's now taken for granted that the pope shubd a master of many language s. you also look for skill and organization. the pope manages a large bureaucracy. there's a great need for reform of that. but i go back primarily, someone who is an effective evangelizer in today's society. >> first off, cardinal francis arinze. >> i would be surprised if he is elected pope just given his age. pope benedict was 78 when he was elected now is resigning because of old age. cardinal arinze is already 80. he is a bit of a television personality, especially in the english speaking world, he has

become well known. very articulate. charming, funny man. he is also involved in the interreligious dialogue for many years, which would make him an attractive figure. >> cardinal peter terkurkson is getting a lot of attention. age 64, so not a problem there. >> yeah. he speaks perfect english, has a sense of the international church. he is also the head of the council for peace and justice. very involved in economic and political issues, but leans a bit left in terms of the mainstray voomai mainstream view of economics and politics. why not a pope from the third world? he would, indeed, be a very strong contender if that's the focus. >> one name i'm hearing is from canada, marc ouellet. does that put him in any kind of

position of advantage, heading the congregation of bishops? >> i happened to be with him five weeks ago. there was a conference in rome and he chaired it. i watched him go effortlessly from french to italian to portuguese to german. he has an extraordinary command of language. head of the congregation of bishops, he would know most of the bishops around the world, have a real sense of the international church. he was also a seminary rector in columbia. >> what about cardinal timothy dolan here from new york who joined us on the set yesterday morning? what are the chances an american could be named pope? >> i would say they're slim. i'm a huge fan of cardinal dolan. someone who leads with a joyful announcement of the gospel. he is also the president of the united states conference of catholic bishops, a man widely

respected. who knows what the holy spirit is going to do. i think it's a slim possibility that an american would be elected simply because we're the lone superpower in the world and they're probably reluctant to give the leadership of the church to an american. having said that, he is a massively impressive figure. my first criteria is right, evangelization, he's the man. >> a lot to come in the coming weeks. thank you so much. >> all right. savannah? >> state of the union address as the president prepares to lay out the agenda for his second term tonight. chuck todd, nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director is live at the white house. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. history indicates that second terms actually have a shelf life that are a lot less than four years. what does that mean? it means that the president's first state of the union of his second term may actually be his last best chance to motivate congress to do big things. since president obama's second

term began, he has spent much of his time in public simply selling his immigration plan and pushing for new gun control law s. leaving the issue that's dogged him for four years, jump-starting the nation's economy, on the sideline. advisers say that will change in tonight's speech. >> an outline for him to grow jobs and the middle class. >> reporter: echoing familiar themes from last year's campaign. >> gold and manufacturing, education, national security and the deficit. real achievable plans that will lead to new jobs. >> reporter: tonight's state of the union comes two weeks before a new round of budget showdowns between the president and republicans. draconian spending cuts march 1st that both sides say they want to avoid but will kick in if nothing is done and then march 31st, the government runs out of fund iing. the president, pushing for tax hikes on the wealthy. republicans insisting on major

spending cuts. >> the president will actually have to move beyond the gimmicks and the taxes and propose real spending reductions. >> reporter: despite the economic focus, the issue of guns, especially the memory of newtown, will loom over the house chamber with lawmakers inviting guests from both sides of the gun debate, from ted nugent on one side, to several victims on the other, including gabriel giffords, who stars in this new ad. >> take it from me. congress must act. let's get this done. >> tonight, there will be a lot of acting cabinet secretaries in attendance, savannah. part of that reason, of course, is there are numbers of cabinet nominees who haven't gotten confirmed yet. one of those could take a large step toward confirmation. chuck hagel should get committee approval today, which means he could be confirmed by thursday. >> valerie jarrett is senior

adviser to president obama. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. how are you? >> very well, thank you. i do want to talk about the state of the union. let's start with north korea, which conducted its third and most powerful nuclear test overnight. convening an emergency meeting of the security council, the u.n. is, but what is left in the sanctions of one of the countries that is the most sanctioned and still defies? >> it violates multiple u.n. security resolutions. it is threatening to the united states, it is destabilizing and not necessarily in the best interest of north korea. it doesn't strengthen north korea. it makes it more vulnerable, isolates it and increases the impoverishment of the country. let's not get ahead that have meeting and see what happens. >> the president addressing the nation tonight, i want to start by reading you a quote from the

president. now is the time to jump-start job creation, restart lending and invest in areas like energy, health care and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. that is from the president's very first address to congress in 2009. americans have heard these refrains over and over again. what can you guarantee to the american people that will turn these words into actual actions? >> savannah, those words have already turned into actions. the last three years, we've stated over 6 million jobs in our country. last 35 months alone, we've made a great deal of progress. that will be a central theme of tonight's remarks. the president has always believed that our country is strongest when we build from the middle class out not from the top down. that was the theme of the 2008 election and certainly this last election. and those words have already turned into action and he will continue that. he will demonstrate concretely how he has to invest in manufacturing, making the united states a magnet for job growth,

preparing our workforce, making sure that if you work hard that you can earn a good living. and he will lay out very specifically how we want to accomplish that. >> let me turn to a more immediate crisis. in a few weeks, these automatic spending cuts known as the sequester will go into effect. this is something that both sides have said will be massively destructive to our economy. my question to you is whet when is the last time the president sat down with congressional leaders to try to work out some kind of compromise to avoid this? >> well, as you saw the end of last year, we made a great deal of progress. we were so close, savannah. the president and speaker boehner were just moments apart in reach iing a deal. unfortunately, the republicans were unwilling to do the deal we proposed. the president proposed a balanced approach, one that includes both spending cuts as well as rate increases. >> have there been any recent meetings along those lines? >> there haven't.

the issue of the end of the last year and over the last few weeks we've been preparing and gearing up. the president has made it clear numerous times to sit down with the republicans in congress and work out a deal. he has presented a range of options for how we can get our fiscal house in order. he is looking for a big deal. if we can't get a big deal let's at least try to come to terms on a smaller deal that avoids sequestration from kicking in. >> valerie jarrett, have to leave it there. thank you very much for your time. >> thank you, savannah. live coverage of state of the union address starts at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific time right here on nbc. >> i apologize. and tomorrow house speaker john boehner joins us exclusively. it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about the issues that the president will be speaking about tonight. natalie morales is here now with a look at all the headlines. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt and savannah. good morning, everyone. chicago police have arrested

two men in connection with the murder of teen hadiya pendleton days after first lady michelle obama attended the girl's funeral. kevin tibbles has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. two men will appear in court in chicago this morning for the murder of hadiya pendleton, whose death so tragically highlight highlights the problem of guns and gangs in this city. chicago police say they have charged two men, 18-year-old michael ward and kenneth williams, 20, with hadiya pendleton's murder. >> sadly hadiya's life was cut far too short by the unksconscis actions of two criminals who have been charged this evening. >> reporter: 15-year-old pendleton was shot to death not far from president obama's chicago home two weeks ago. an innocent, police say, murdered by gang members seeking retaliation, adding that michael ward has confessed to pulling the trigger. >> they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang.

instead, it was a group of upstanding, determined kids. >> reporter: pendleton's family in washington to attend this evening's state of the union address, expressed relief and gratitude. >> i'm happy that the murderer of hadiya is now off the street. i look forward and hope they are convicted and i'm going to be in court every day. >> hadiya's death moved the city of chicago to mourning. her funeral, attended by first lady michelle obama and hundreds of friends and classmates. >> we have to stop the violence. >> ward and williams have been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of battery with a firearm. >> kudos to chicago pd. you all did a great job and kept us, you know, involved and, you know -- thank you. >> reporter: and on friday, president obama plans to travel to chicago for a series of meetings on gun violence and a series of other issues. natalie? >> kevin tibbles in chicago.

thanks so much, kevin. in los angeles, an urgent manhunt for a cop killer is coming up empty. detectives work around the clock to try to track down leads. accused of killing three people, christopher dorner has a million dollar reward on his head. warnings have been posted along major roads in the area. hackers broke into the emergency alert system in a local station and this is what unsuspecting viewers heard. >> authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. follow the messages on screen that will be updated as information becomes available. do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous. >> the network is investigating the hack and denies that there is any emergency or zombie apocalypse in case you had any

doubt. still terrifying, as you can imagine. >> not funny. >> i know. unbelievable. >> especially if you're a werewolf or vampire. it can't be good. >> mr. roker is here now with a check of the weather. al? good morning, everybody. we've got a couple different sides of a storm. ahead of it, strong storms fromw orleans to tallahassee already on the radar. a risk of flash flood be and wet weather behind the system. you can see two to four inches of rain, and then we've got snow. we've got winter weather advisory, winter storm watching expecting between elk city, amarillo and oklahoma city. about six to nine inches of snow. we'll get your latest forecast. theirs, this message.

good morning. i'm tom kierein. off to a sunny start. a blustery wind and temperatures in the low to mid-40s. most of the region now. later today hitting the low 50s. lots of sun. winds diminish by late afternoon. tomorrow, cloudy in the morning. might get rain in afternoon changing to a period of wet snow tomorrow night. a light accumulation mainly on grassy areas melting on roads. sun back on thur that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thank you very much. coming up, what are conditions like this morning on that stricken cruise ship in the gulf of mexico? we'll hear from passengers for the first time. and kate upton on the cover of sports illustrated swimsuit issue for the second year in a

row. she's here in our studio. we'll chat with her. first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, why al's psa will blow you away. >> becauset's windy. after your local news and weather.

good morning. it's 7:26 on this tuesday, february 12th. i'm erin gilchrist. learning new information on the breaks news out of college park. mufrd murder of three students. megan mcgrath live now with more. >> reporter: well, aaron, the shots were fired here in the front yard of this home on 36th avenue and the shooter committed suicide in the backyard. you can see here the neighbor's vehicle here. this suv. the rear window shut out. this bizarre murder/suicide began to unfold at about 1:00

this morning. this house is, there are three university of maryland students who live here. around 1:00 in the morning, police say that one of those students started a fire in the basement. he was confronted by his two roommates. as they were fleeing the house, that third roommate opened fire. one of the students was killed. the shooter then went to the rear of the house and committed suicide. all of this still under investigation. we'll have the latest coming up later on our shows. reporting live in college park, megan mcgrath. back to you. a l

good morning. sunshine today, a bit of a blustery winds. highs low 50s. tomorrow, could get rain in the afternoon. changing to a period of wet snow tomorrow night. sun back thursday, friday, maybe more snow saturday. danella, how's traffic? >> an earlier accident, good

news. cleared in columbia. westbound 32 heading northbound 29. that accident is gone. a live look. no issues there. southbound, a little volume in columbia. no issues continuing south bound ♪ ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] what's the point of an epa estimated 42 miles per gallon if the miles aren't interesting? the lexus ct hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. we're back now at 7:30 on a tuesday morning. that is kate upton doing the modeling. that could not have been easy. the results landed her on the cover of the coveted sports illustrated swimsuit issue. this now for a second year in a row. we'll talk to kate about that honor. she's in our studio. >> we'll talk about the historical significance. i think that's what -- >> reading the article. >> exactly. also ahead, the story behind

the sudden success of snap chat. have you heard of this? the app let's you send pictures and decide how long people can view them. we'll meet its young founders. also ahead, tom brokaw will join us with a closer look at an issue that we'll hear more about during this evening's state of the union, gun violence in america. carnival cruise liner stranded in the gulf of mexico after a weekend engine fire. a decision was made overnight to tow the ship back to the u.s. as frustration mounts for thousands of passengers. nbc's janet shamlian is in galveston, texas, where the cruise originated. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. that trip was supposed to arrive right back here at the port of galveston yesterday. yet today it remains crippled in the gulf with conditions that are said to be worsening by the hour. now there's more bad news. for the thousands of passengers who are on board. late last night carnival cruiseline said this ship will be stuck at sea an additional 24 hours, not arriving back wednesday as they originally had

said, but now coming back on thursday. that news comes as we're hearing from passengers who are on board, describing the conditions for the very first time. more than 4,200 passengers and crew are spending their third day on the the hobbled vessel. port of progreso in mexico and fly passengers back to the united states. but strong currents pulled that ship north. it's as close to mobile as it was to progreso so they're going to be towed into mobile. 90-degree heat, no air conditioning and few working toilets. >> they've done everything that they can to keep the situation down and make everyone happy. >> on a girlfriends' cruise with

about 200 women, she was able to call our affiliate and describe what it's like. >> the rooms are very hot unless you have a balancony room but i you have an interior room like mine it's pretty dark in there and it's very stuffy. especially if someone used your bathroom, because you can't flush it. >> donna says the shift has been listing. >> we were at a pretty good tilt. to walk, you literally walk sideways. >> this man's wife and three children are among the passengers. >> they staked out deck chairs and had a makeshift tent over it and were going to sleep on it overnight. >> carnival is the fun line. i don't know if it's the fun line now. >> reporter: in a statement carnival says we're terribly sorry for the inconvenience, discomfort and frustration our guests are feeling. we know they expected a fantastic vacation and clearly that is not what they received. still, some passengers are trying to keep a sense of humor about the ordeal. one tweeting bucket list item

accomplished, marooned at sea. i wouldn't recommend it. carnival says docking the ship back here in the united states will make it easier for those traveling without a passport than the original plan, which was to take the ship to mexico. the fact remains that it keeps these people on board an additional 24 hours in conditions people are describing as two and three-hour waits for limited hot and cold food and with few working toilets, really awful sanitary conditions. back to you. >> what a miserable time for those passengers. thanks for the story. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by sar gechlt gechltgento. taste the real difference. >> lot of friends here celebrating fat tuesday. you brought the king cake. >> there you go. >> very nice. thank you so much. unfortunately it will be raining friends down in new orleans for mardi gras. show you what else is going on for today. snow. hey, how about those snow

surpluses? went from not enough snow in boston. now eight inches above where they should be for this time of year. hartford, almost 19 inches. new york city, flee inches above normal, but head out west. buffalo still 23 inch, below where they should be. less than a foot than they should have in cleveland and chicago more than 13 inches below normal. as we said, heavy rain and showers, thunderstorms down through the gulf. causing problems down in new orleans. wet weather in the pacific northwest. air stagnation alerts there. 67 and sunshine in l.a. beautiful day in chicago. plenty of sunny skies and a high of 34 degrees. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. sun's up about a half hour and a bit of a blustery winds out of the north and west gusting around 20 miles an hour. temperatures in the low 40s. most of the region now. and will only climb to the low 50s for highs by later this afternoon with lots of southern and diminishing winds. then tomorrow, cloudy through much of the day. late afternoon might get rain

changing to a period of wet snow before ending midnight. wednesday night, an inch from leukemia, lymph tls om society. go to their website and check it out. gun violence in america, something we expect to hear a lot about during tonight's state of the union address. special correspondent tom brokaw is in los angeles with more on this. good morning, tom. >> good morning, matt. in tone and in content, this gun control debate is hard ly unifom across the country. here in the american west, gun owners are organized and they're really speaking out, matt. gun control is a particularly tough issue for democratic senators in western states. however much they may want to vote for new restrictions, the gun owners back home, who have passed down guns generation to generation and for whom hunting

is a way of life, they're pushing back, hard. >> senator michael bennett's office. i'll be sure to let the senator know. >> i can definitely let the senator know your comments about this. >> reporter: take a look at this map. each of these states has one or more democratic senators, lots of guns and lots of fear that any controls will lead to a government con physicfconfiscat private firearms. senator john tester. >> it's part of growing up, it's part of our culture. >> reporter: he says it's issue one for his constituents. they worry more about big government than too many guns. they just don't trust the government? >> i think there's a fair number like that.

i don't think all by any stretch of the imagination, but there's a fair number of folks out there, when it comes to guns, that are concerned that any sort of ban is the first step to a bigger ban. >> reporter: in montana, five local sheriffs say they will not enforce a ban on assault weapons if passed by the federal government. in new mexico, there's a heated debate in the state legislature about whether there should be background checks for private gun sales and in south dakota, democratic senator tim johnson says the state should have their own local gun control laws. one size, he says, does not fit all. >> how may i help you? i definitely will see if i can get a response. >> i will share that with senator bennett. >> reporter: in michael benne bennett's office, the phone rings nonstop. some of the most dramatic changes in gun laws are being proposed in bennett's state of colorado, where two of the worst mass shootings took place,

columbine and aurora. colorado democratic lawmakers want to hold manufacturers of assault weapons liable for deaths or injuries caused by those kinds of guns. matt, almost everyone has something to say about guns, obviously, in this country. in the gun-bearing states it does seem, at the moment at least, that those who own guns are the best organized and they have the most to say at the moment. and they're putting a lot of political pressure, especially on their democratic representatives, matt. >> tom, i want to remind people, they can see more of our network wide coverage "flash point: guns in america" all this week. congratulations, grandpa. sarah had a little boy yesterday. >> that's right. we broke the gender barrier in our family, three daughters, four granddaughters and yesterday archer thomas merritt broke the barrier. it's the two of us and the alpha

females in the family will probably still prevail. >> our best to sarah. congratulations. >> thank you. the 20 somethings behind snap chat. why he is welcoming comments right after this. how do we take an unpolished room and make it shine? we get doing... ...with a store full of ways to get it done. we can all throw on our work clothes... ...and throw out any doubt. because right now's the time to take those rooms from...

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embarrassing shots don't have to go on your permanent record. diana alvear is at snap chat's headquarters in venice, california. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. how many of us have had a photo end up on facebook, instagram or any other social media site and we weren't thrilled with it? what if i told you that it could just disappear? that is the concept behind snap chat. it's a hot new app. we'll show you how it works but first how it all got started. >> no, no, delete! >> if you want to know why snap chat is so hot -- >> i love that you don't have to care that much about what you're sending. >> reporter: what they love even more -- >> and it's gone. >> reporter: that it disappeas s after a few seconds. >> it's much better than facebook. once you put it on facebook, everyone sees it. i'll take a picture and a few weeks later i'll be like why did i post it.

>> reporter: that drove evan siegel and his best friend to decr create snap chat. >> we really built the product for sboursz our friends and we kept hearing i have these awkward photos posted that i wish would disappear and we thought wow, i think we can build something that does that. from december 2011 to like 30,000 in january 2012. >> reporter: that success propelled spiegle and company out of his father's dining room. now 16 million photos are exchanged on snap chat every day, enough to have facebook create poke. isn't that a form of flattery? >> i think so. >> snap chat is perfect for

sexting. it's easier to sext with it and it's more in real time and it has that illusion of safety. >> on snap chat any image that you send can be saved forever whether by someone taking a photo with another camera or by taking a screen shot. it's not a great place to send photos you want to be secure. >> reporter: made believers out of several long-term investors. >> to change the way people communicate for the better. >> reporter: to live in the moment. >> that is a goofy picture. >> reporter: the way we used to. now he has it? >> for nine seconds. >> that is a crazy picture. >> reporter: all right. so i let you know that we were going to tell you how it works. i sent you a little surprise, savannah. i would like you to open it up live on air. >> okay. that's not terrifying. here i am. oh, that's cute. it says good morning, sav annah >> take care of that little picture for just a little

longer, because it's not going to last. >> it just disappeared. i'm sorry to see that one go. i'm glad it wasn't a more horrifying picture. diana, thank you. >> we have the memories. >> exactly. we'll always have the snap chat. thanks, diana. al's wet and wild psa. but up next, two in a row for kate upton. we'll catch up with the super model's latest swimsuit issue after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker. today is going to be epic. quaker up.

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cover. kate joins us live in the studio. kate, good morning. how are you? >> great. >> you shot this in apart arctica? >> yes. i was very surprised by the news that that was where my shoot was going to be located. >> they were good enough to give you a parka to wear, and nothing else. >> there's a reason they don't shoot men's swimsuit issues in the antarctica. >> oh, for crying out loud! >> really? >> give you a lot of credit for doing that. >> geez. >> only because you guys couldn't handle it. >> what was it like? >> it was freeze iing. i'm from florida. so, it wasn't great for me. obviously, the pictures now, it's incredible. i can't believe we were all able to accomplish that. >> here you are, back to back, covered, joining company like tyra banks, elle mcpherson, who also had more than one cover. does that mean a lot to you? >> it does, especially with "sports illustrated." they're able to bring girls to

all seven continents. >> did they have to air brush out the goosebumps? >> i was thinking warm thoughts. >> you tweeted you had frostbite for months after, right? >> it was quite the -- when i came back, i was like losing hearing and eyesight because my body was shutting down, it was working so hard to keep me warm. >> when that's happening, do you think maybe this wasn't such a great idea? >> especially when my mom's in my ear saying, i told you not to go there. it's a bad idea. >> after you were on the cover last year, did you notice a major difference in the kind of attention you were getting, the kind of jobs you were being offered? >> "sports illustrated" really launched my career and i have a lot to thank them for. >> super bowl ad for mercedes most recently. what's next for you? >> well, i mean, i feel like i'm on the top right now. i'm really excited. just want to enjoy this moment. >> what are the penguins like?

>> they kept me going. they're adorable. any time i was like, i can't do it anymore, i can't. i would look at them and be like, okay, for them. >> do it for the penguins. >> i'm doing it for the penguins. >> with back-to-back covers maybe now you have the clout to have a shoot somewhere other than antarctica for next year. >> they promised somewhere warm. >> hold them to it, kate. >> 62 million people will read this issue. >> sure. >> of "sports illustrated." congratulations again. >> thank you so much. >> she'll stick around. we're back after your local news. see life in the best light. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit.

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ready... [ camera flash ] ♪ every kiss begins with kay breaking news at 7:46. we're learning more about a murder/suicide involving three universities of maryland students. police say it began around 1:00 in a house the students shared on 3600 avenue in college park. one housemate start add fire in the basement. two other housemates confronted him and he shot both's them before turning the gun on himself. one roommate died. the other is expected to survive. more on the story throughout the morning. first a check on the forecast. seven-day outlook, blustery wind. high low 50s. tomorrow rain in the afternoon changing to a brief period of wet snow tomorrow night with a light accumulation mainly on grassy areas. another chance of snow saturday.

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morning. it is the 12th of february, 2013. we've got a sunny, pretty morning here on rockefeller plaza. we say hello to the nice folks who decided to stop by and say hello to us. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie, alongside matt lauer and al roker. kate upton, fellow model from the s.i. swimsuit issue will be here. they're having a good time in our green room, apparently. and they're going to model some swimwear coming up, get you in the mood for spring or whatever. >> you guys are like -- >> all i heard was good morning.

>> blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. >> the mouth that was the talk of the grammy awards. faith hill showed up sporting braces. a lot of people thought that was very, very cool. we should say it's not the only option for adults looking to straighten their teeth. we'll have more of that as well. more of our special series "today" takes action. matt debuted his ad council announcement on fatherhood involvement. this morning our psa aims to blow you away. >> very timely psa, by the way. >> it is. let's go in now to natalie morales with a look at the day's top headlines. u.n. security council is holding an emergency meeting today to deal with north korea's bold and defiant act. it confirms it conducted a third nuclear test today. president obama called it a threat to u.s. security and

international peace. nato said the test, along with a december missile launch, is a flagrant violation of u.n. security sanctions. pope benedict xvi will not intervene in any way in the choice of his successor. his brother says he plans to keep a low profile after he steps down later this month. the vatican had a pacemaker installed before he became pope in 2005. in a surprise move, leaders of the international olympic community have decided to drop wrestling for the 2020 olympics. the move includes both freestyle and greccan roman events. wrestling will now join seven other sports, including softball and squash to apply for a single opening in 2020. any excuse to show that video, i guess. now for a look at what is trending today.

quick roundup of what has you talking online. westminster kennel club dog show was the number two google search overnight. best in show will be chosen this evening. performance-enhanced dogs with features like tattooed noses to make them darker, braces for straightening their teeth and canine cosmetic surgery will not be tolerated. we'll have our all-natural winner live in our studio tomorrow. drinkers of maker's mark will be getting bourbon and water even if they order their drink neat. they'll be diluting it to meet a surge in demand, which also lowers the alcohol content by 3%. player lockout couldn't have come too soon for dave, the cat. >> hey, dave, do you like the ducks?

>> of course, the cat would be a fan of the anaheim ducks. it doesn't look like dave is really up to chasing any. it is now 8:04. you're up-to-date. let's go back outside to al with a check of your weather. hey, al. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by ihop. everything you love about breakfast. >> let's check out our pick city of the day. it happens to be one of our fabulous nbc affiliates, wx wxia in atlanta. 55 degrees. a lot of wet whether through the south including new orleans where fat tuesday, a lot of folks getting rained on. lake-effect snow western new york, also look for snow, amarillo, texas, seeing three to six inches of snow today. snow showers in the pacific northwest with rain around the coast. stretching all the way into northern new england. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. temperatures are in the low to mid-40s much of the reachen and

winds gusting 15 to 20 miles an hour. blustery through much of date today. reagan national, in the 40s. 30s in a few locations and highs reaching low 50s much of the region by mid-afternoon. tomorrow, partly cloudy. maybe an afternoon light rain changing to wet snow tomorrow >> that's your latest weather. now back to mr. lauer. >> thank you, mr. roker. faith hill opens up about her braces. they were kind of the talk of the grammy awards. then al's ad council gets you ready for the next big storm. we'll talk about his psa. and then the hottest trends from "sports illustrated" swim suit models but first these messages. ♪ made with milk, cream... a touch of sugar... and pure, natural flavors.

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you got yourself mcdonald's new fish mcbites. hit it! ♪ fish-ay! fish-ay! [ male announcer ] you can catch a lot with a dollar. like the snack size of mcdonald's new fish mcbites. ♪ ba da ba ba ba so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites, served with soup or salad, and fries. starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. we're back at 8:09 with the buzz about a certain accessory worn at the grammys. faith hill is the talk of the grammys. not for her singing, her dress or her date, husband tim mcgraw, but for her braces. >> here are the nominees for

song of the year. >> twitter lit up with support of her dental wear. one fan writing, if faith hill can rock braces at the grammys, so can i. in fact, the 45-year-old hill has had braces for several months, first showing them off at the country music awards in november. she explained why she's wearing braces as an adult to country station knix. >> how are you doing with braces? >> oh, well, i'm getting used to them. i just had to -- i didn't wear my retainer. kids, wear your retainer. i had braces when i was a kid. it's not too bad. >> if anybody can pull off braces and look good doing it, faith hill. >> which you do, by the way. >> oh, thank you. >> she looks great and is also inspiring to others who may be reluctant to take the plunge and get their teeth fixed. faith hill, international pop star whose image is based on her being beautiful and perfect is willing to do this, then the rest of us mere mortals can do

it, too. >> dr. jennifer joblo, good morning. >> good morning. >> good news for you. >> she's a brave woman for doing that. >> is this something you see a lot where adults are having to go back and get braces again? >> yes. teeth shift because of our hormonal changes, architecture and even grinding at night, that can happen. when you don't wear your reta retainer as a kid, and a lot of adults. five to ten years an enormous shift to adult orthodoesn'tist. >> you can do the fixed braces which are more traditional, that's what faith hill has, or you can do invisalign, which are removable. >> it's clear. it's basically invisible. you can take it out when you're eating or drinking. food doesn't get caught in it. not everybody is a candidate for it. most adults, if they are candidates for invisalign, will move toward that. they stain, sometimes your

breath can change and your speech can change as well. >> is one more expensive than the other? >> they kind of run about the same, to tell you the truth. most adults -- you didn't see braces about 20 years ago, because invisalign wasn't an option. faith hill is gorgeous and can get away with it. most of us probably aren't confident to wear fixed brackets. >> how do you know you're in a category when you need to think about braces as opposed to basic teeth shifting that can happen? >> basic teeth shifting, especially with women in their late 30s, 40s, 50s, it's usually on the lower teeth. they start to cross over. that's actually going to affect your health. because plaque and everything is going to get stuck in there. it's very hard to clean. so that can cause gum disease. it's very important to talk to your dentist about it. >> call the dentist. do they still hurt? >> no, they don't. >> really? >> you can take them in and out, go to a party, speech or anything. >> dr. jennifer jablow, thank you very much. up next, al goes all out for

his psa after this. vious. it's more than being glamorous, or tall. it's not all about who sparkles the most. or who is the best dressed. what nature really cares about is what you have to offer. like the stevia plant. small and humble with a surprising secret to share... sweetness. truvia sweetener. zero-calorie sweetness, born from the stevia leaf. from nature, for sweetness. [ male announcer ] make your escape... twice as rewarding. earn double points or double miles on all your hotel stays through march thirty first. sign up now at hiltondouble.com. for hollywood's biggest stars. who is it for? it's for becky. now, he designs for the star in your life. neil lane bridal. hand-crafted rings. at kay -- the number one jewelry store in america.

♪ every kiss begins with kay you know what, while we're waiting why don't we play a game of hide and seek? right now? yeah go hide. go on buddy. one, two... [ son ] come and find me! three! [ son ] are you even looking for me? i am looking! [ male announcer ] bite-sized chicken's grown up. kfc bites. freshly hand-breaded big bites of premium breast meat, seasoned in the colonel's original recipe. try 10 bites with an 8 piece meal for $19.99. [ son ] dad? [ male announcer ] today tastes so good. and sure enough, we're family. but you're not even shredded. you're...crunchy?! that happens sometimes. [ female announcer ] a crunch of whole grain fiber that helps keep you full. new frosted mini-wheats crunch. it's a big breakfast... [ crunch! ] ...in new a little biscuit.

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simply delicious. the battle of bataan, 1942. [ all ] fort benning, georgia, in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto-insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. we're back now at 8:16 with "today" takes action where each of us teamed up with the ad council to produce a public service announcement. >> through the years, the ad council has created such memorable campaigns, smoky the bear to the crash test dummies. monday, matt debuted his psa. it was for fatherhood involvement.

this morning, it's al's turn. >> i still can't get enough of that. that was terrific. for me, the choice was easy. i spent the majority of my life reporting from some of the worst natural disasters in the country. i simply wanted viewers to be able to get themselves ready before the next storm hits. >> it is unbelievable. boom. there it is, fire has now started coming out of that, burning embers coming all the way up to here. we expect this to continue like this for at least another eight, ten hours. as the weatherman, i'm the guy who has seen firsthand when mother nature twists our world upside down. you can see how devastation like this can hurt on so many levels. the destruction, the waste, the lives lost or torn apart. i've covered countless hurricanes, tornadoes, natural disasters. when you talk to the people who have survived them, they're all amazed at theower of nature. they weren't expecting it to be

that bad. because unless you've been through it, you have no idea what it's like. and by the time that happens, it's too late. so we decided to produce a public service announcement to convince people to think ahead about those unthinkable events. a dangerous storm, 440 miles south -- and then it got personal. hurricane sandy, striking us here at home. though we had a few days to get ready, it wasn't enough. i met with paula aniscot, fema's director of readiness. as americans how prepared are we for natural disasters? >> i hate to say it but the majority of americans have not taken enough steps to be prepared for disaster. >> what do you mean? >> do you know first aid? do you know what to do during a disaster? do you know what types of disasters are going to impact your own community? have you made a plan? any of those are steps towards being really prepared.

>> reporter: paula suggested i team up with a group of fema experts to see if the average american family would be ready for the next emergency. >> here he comes, mr. rescue. >> wrap it around the water heater several times. >> reporter: this makeover won't include a fresh coat of paint or new shag rug but once we're done the house will be in better shape and the family who lives here better prepared for anything. so, who's my lucky friend? >> more than 500 million gallons of water flooded -- >> natalie reported on the very storm that ripped through her hoboken, new jersey, community. she was one of the lucky ones. they only lost power. she admits the family still has a lot to learn about emergency preparedness. >> i want you to find me everything you would need in the event of a storm. storm is raging. >> lesson one, make a kit. >> go, go. >> go, go, go, go! >> yes, you need some string. chair. don't know that that's what we

need for the emergency but we're going to keep moving. >> sparklers. >> why do we need sparklers is this. >> the goal is to have a go-to bag with whatever you might need to survive for a week without power. >> water, you got some water jugs, all right. good job! >> one thing the boys helped illustrate. >> chapstick. >> you don't want to go through an emergency with dry lips. >> if you're in a rush you may not make the best choices. how did they do? >> okay. now the power cord for the nintendo if we don't have any power we're not going to be able to use it. marshmallows? mm. >> no. >> definitely no. >> look at that. that's enough batteries to last a lifetime. good. >> check your alarms every six months. and practice how to respond if they do go off. >> i think you have to let go. >> you have to leave the train. in a fire we have to leave the train. >> we have to leave the train in a fire. >> what? >> hands and knees. >> we have to leave the train in a fire?

>> if this were a real emergency, last thing you want is an argument over toys. >> hands and knees. >> hands and knees. >> so where are you going to go? what are you going to do? >> lesson three, from flooding to earthquakes, know the disasters that might strike your area. >> called drop, cover and hold. >> at the end of the day, a good secure table is your best defense. with natalie and her family on their way it's time to get the message out for the rest of america with my public service announcement. i leave fema behind and meet with a different group of experts. >> hello. >> hi, there. >> hi. >> these executives from the advertising agency leo burnett have come up with a compelling concept to motivate people to protect themselves. >> i've never seen this. i've always heard about the advertising -- this is the first time. >> this is al roker with today's forecast. as you can see it does not get better than this. >> a beautiful day turns violent in seconds, leaving no time to

react. >> the weather is literally changing around you. >> authorities advise that you stay indoors! and then you do this. >> jazz hands. >> to talk about it is one thing. to make it work, quite another. >> and three, two, one. >> forecast, beautiful day out here. >> a few weeks later, i head into the studio to see if we can control the elements for at least an afternoon. where's my director? this is al roker, blah, blah, blah. >> then you start your walk forward. starting to ramp up and ramp up. a little more rain, little more wind. i wouldn't worry about it. >> this really smells like a setup. here is the tip-off. there's a lot of plastic. um, yeah. i've been in blizzards. i've been in hurricanes. the only bad weather i've covno

covered are locusts, plagues. i think i can handle it. >> a lot of studying. i've seen what he's capable of. center of gravity is good. he leans into the wind, which is great. i think he's going to do really well. >> let's roll please. and action. >> this is al roker with the forecast. the biggest challenge, to make our storm look believable. in hollywood, they have a huge special effects team but for our psa we're a bit more low key. stage hands bring on the sun. >> i've got control of the rain, thanks to my good buddy, alex. in the role of the wind, the fan man, joe! and, of course, no storm would be complete without debris. frazier? and then the matter of my location. using the magic of a green screen, i can be anywhere i

want. hurricane-force winds. >> my work here is done. the rest is up to the editors to work their magic and, as they say, fix it in post. >> ladies and gentlemen, let's thank mr. al roker for his service. >> thank you. you're all wizards. you're wizards. >> they really have worked some magic. i've not seen this yet. >> this is your first time? >> it is. we were able to pull it all together. did they get the storm of the century right? here is our psa. >> it's a beautiful day out here. sunny today with light breezes. giving way to clouds in the afternoon. we could see some light precipitation to moderate precipitation later on followed by powerful storm-like conditions, 70-mile-per-hour winds are expected. stay indoors!

>> looked good to me. >> great job, they really did. >> that's fantastic. >> the most important thing, get an emergency kit, get a plan. if you want to find out, really, a list of items to get your emergency kit together go to today.com. we've got that posted. >> just remember, toy trains not on that list. >> yeah. >> by the way, my son said he wanted the chair to get to hi higher ground. >> that's a good thought. >> luke put in the box -- we didn't show, natalie's running magazine. >> oh, good. the precious family artifact, yes. >> timely with all the storms we've seen. great, great idea. well done, mr. roker. tomorrow on "today," we'll find out what natalie has planned for her psa. and we're back after your local news.

break nugz at 8:26. working to learn more about a murder/suicide involving three university of maryland students. police say it started around 1:00 this morning in a house the students shared on 36 avenue in college park. one housemate start add fire in the basement when the two other housemates confronted him officers say he shot both of them before turning the gun on himself. one of those housemates died. the other is expected to survive. much more on this throughout the morning. for now, though, check the forecast. here's tom kierein. a live view from the nbc 4 camera. low to mid-40s, later today, low

50s. blustery wind. tomorrow, cloudy, rain in the afternoon. changing to snow briefly in the evening. not much accu

good morning. traveling the beltway.

slow from branch avenue as you get closer to 295, your left local lane is blocked by the crash. look at the delays at branch avenue. your travel speed takes you at least 33 minutes to get from pennsylvania avenue to 295. back to you, aaron. thank you. watch president

8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 12th day of february, 2013. after some days of weird weather, it's beautiful here in the northeast. we have moderate temperatures, bright blue skies and a great crowd on rockefeller plaza. we are happy to have them here. these people stick around for a little while, we're going to get them ready -- even though we're

in the middle of winter, we're going to get them ready for beach season as some of the "sports illustrated" swimsuit models are joining us live in our studio to show off the great looks for the coming months. >> latest in robes wear. >> best-selling author jackie collins is here. best-selling author of many, many books. we'll find out what inspires her each and every time. we want to bring you up-to-date on a story we covered yesterday about couples who get together and decide to co-parent a child even though they have no romantic relationship. we asked you to weigh in on our website and tell us what you think of this idea. the results are in. 35% said it was a good idea. 65% said no. >> that surprise you at all? >> not particularly. >> not really. >> i think a lot of people are traditionalists. >> that's right. we all know about the blizzard from last week. unfortunately, one of the smaller side effects, we had to cancel our field trip, friday field trip last week to chicago.

but matt and savannah are going to be hitting the road this week for a fun adventure in another city, affected by the blizzard. >> they got dumped on, what, three feet of snow? boston, we're talking about. one of the great cities in this country. we'll be broadcasting live from boston friday morning right here on "today." we're looking for the trip up there. >> we are. we're going to post our schedule coming up. >> absolutely. let's bring in josh duhamel, co-star of "safe haven." great to see you. >> josh. >> the latest movie version of the nicholas sparks' novel. this is not a chick flick, right? >> uh, well, i don't really know what that means, you know. i don't think we give guys enough credit. >> you know who cried a lot? i did. >> you say you are a touchy,

feely kind of guy, right? >> julianne was here yesterday, julianne hough. she says there's parts where you're crying, she's crying. >> i'm crying? well, sure. >> yeah? >> sure. >> an emotional scene. >> you know, a lot of it has to do with my -- i'm raising two kids. we're still dealing with the grief of losing my wife a couple of years earlier and then julianne comes to town. so it's mostly, you know -- a lot of this movie has to do with these kids and how my relationship with them is going until she comes. so, it's a beautiful movie, shot in north carolina. and it's very much a thriller. >> you have a makeout scene, couple of makeout scenes with julianne. >> i do. >> to be comfortable, you had a face-to-face with ryan seacrest? >> yeah. i wish i never would have brought that up. >> what happened?

>> well, you know, it was out of respect for him and his relationship with her mostly because, you know, these movies are very intimate and i just wanted to -- listen, you don't have to worry about anything, you know. >> cool with that, right? >> ryan was more cool with it than i was. so, it was -- yeah, it was an awkward conversation. >> created some awkwardness. >> i created something i didn't need to. >> that opens on valentine's day. but what will you be doing on valentine's day? >> i'll be dressing up as horny cupid. >> a what? >> he said corny cupid. >> that's what he said. >> i thought he said cornucopia. >> that's thanksgiving. >> wrong holiday. >> always good to have you here. and it's a chick flick/thriller. >> there you go. >> with tears and making out. so, there's something for everybody. josh, thank you. >> throw in a car crash and it's

perfect. >> wish you lots of success. >> m we've got for your weather. nothing. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. breezy and chilly on this tuesday morning. good morning. right now we're in generally the low and mid-40s. winsds gusting around 15, 20 miles an hour and they'll stay 3w4ru blustery through the rest of the day. later into the low 50s. wind diminishes die this evening. tomorrow, a brief period of wet snow wednesday night. not much accumulation, >> that's your latest weather. now let's check in with big willie scott. >> if you like gorgeous sunshine, beautiful beaches, you have to be with us here in flchlt i feel sorry for people who are freezing to death. come see us if you can. happy birthday from smucker's. how sweet it is.

elvina knepper from milford, indiana. irving howell, flint, michigan. loves to sing. what a pair of cords. god bless him. take a look at inell reams from alton, illinois. 100 years old today. president of the church choir for so many years. they love to hear her sing. another good singer on the show today. and this is adam weslowski from warwick, new york. 100 years old today. in 2008 he was the senior citizen of the year to orange county. how about that? loureather hill, loves to grow flowers and vegetables. she's the best in the business. jim brock of redding, california, 100 years old today. world war ii veteran.

we salute you, sir. barbara mann, one of the most beautiful women here in florida. she has done so much for the center of the arts. we salute you on your 100th birthday. back to you. >> willard, thank you so much. now a sneak peek to the hottest trends in beach wear courtesy of some "sports illustrated" swimsuit models. first this is "today" on nbc.

did you know that more than 18 million readers of the sports illustrated swimsuit issue are women? with that in mind they put together a style guide with top trends you'll need to know once the weather heats up. swimsuit editor, brought along four of the models featured in this swimsuit issue. we had kate upton. now we have more swimsuit models. these are trends in swimsuits. any big themes this year?

>> definitely lots of trends this year. we have them all in our magazine. >> let's start with what you're calling a serial asian. >> this is a nod to our location where we shot in china. wanted something special to represent it. it's a subtle and muted palate. a ruched top and shaped cup that enhances and gives you a little help. >> let me walk over and talk to jess. you are half chinese but had never been to china before. how was going there for the shoot? was it cool? >> it's incredible. my mom is from hong congress. i had been to shanghai before but to see the way the people live was amazing and to be able to climb toes incredible rice patti fields, insane. >> life -- opportunity of a lifetime. >> boho chic is one of the most

wearable trends out there right now. it exudes a casual coolness. this is by american eagle that nina is wearing. it's a corseted bender top that gives more coverage on top than your standard two piece but also really enhances, shapes and lifts. >> i have to ask nina about her shoot. did i hear you had a little fall before the shoot? >> i had a small accident. it turned out to be a fupny story now but wasn't fun back then. >> you had a little gash in your chin? >> i have a scar somewhere. i had a tiny little fall in australia. >> you can't tell at all. the pictures look great. thank you for showing us this trend, miss nina. let's talk about jewel trends, which is our next trend. >> my goodness. jewel tones, beautiful, rich, luxurious color that is sophisticated but also very wearable trend. you can go for color. it can be very vibrant, but it

also is -- it's a comfortable thing. it's your black. it's your black for the summer. >> a lot of people feel like color is more flattering. >> i think it is. it's very rich. it's very flattering. the great thing about this suit, it has a skirt. if you don't like your thighs, try a skirt. it's really liberating. >> our thighs might look a little different than adora's. where was your shoot? >> i was in nibia. i i wasn't expecting it to be so cooled koeld. >> what did you do, run in between takes and put a blanket around you? >> oh, yeah. >> it's a beautiful picture. thank you. we appreciate it. last, but not least, we have a trend you're calling sexy spanish. >> julie is wearing a suit by american apparel. it's a one piece, but more like a fun piece. laces everywhere. it's on everything, so why not a swim suit? this is definitely a more modest piece but with a high-cut leg.

you don't feel matronly at all in it. >> you went to spain for this? i think we have a shot of you and a matador. >> oh, yeah. >> did you get some good shots while you were there? >> a true artist of how he performs. >> thank you so much. let's have all of our models come out one more time. take a look. >> about 18 million female readers. they took it up. they like to see what we're shooting, how the girls look and i think they get inspired by it. >> at least it will get us to the gym. thank you so much. thanks to all of our models, too. appreciate it. jackie collins opens up about her steamy new novel. first this is "today" on nbc.

8:45. jackie collins is one of the best-selling authors of all time. 500 million books and counting. her latest is called "the power trip." jackie collins is back with us. good morning. how are you? >> good morning, matt. how are you? >> i'm good. 29 books, is that possible? >> it's a lot of work. >> i bet it is. >> not too bad. >> you got a lot of drama. you got a lot of sex. five high-powered couples on a yacht trip. this is based on an experience you had. >> you know, i was aon a yacht with friends of mine, crossing from the south of france to sardinia. in the middle of the night i got very uneasy and i spoke to the captain and said where are we? he said we're on five hours of clear water, there's no land. i suddenly thought, what if we were pirated. >> is that what happens to these people? >> they get pirated by somali pirates, yeah. >> does it have a nice ending?

>> you have to read the book to find that out. >> you usually don't write things that will make us cry at the end. >> no, but this is interesting because it's a completely different book for me. it's all these different couples. there's a cheating politician, surprise, surprise. >> right zl a 50-something movie star and his 20-something girlfriend. >> let me stop you there. once again you have done this where people immediate speculate that the characters in the book are based on real people. 50-something actor, sexiest guy around, commitment phobe. does this guy, in real life, does his name rhyme with florge fooney? >> i don't think so. >> gay latin singing star. >> i love him. he's great. >> british soccer player married to a well-known interior designer. >> but he's african-american. that changes everything, doesn't

it? >> little wrinkle in the seams. >> did "fifty shades of grey" up the ante for you? do you have to work harder to make those scenes in your book more titillating? >> my women kick butt. they don't get their butt kicked. i write sex because people's imagination takes over at a certain point and they like erotic sex and strong women, but i don't want my women to get, you know, beaten up, tied up and all of that. that's not for my character. although i think she did a great job. >> you mentioned strong women. it's funny because we're about to have the academy awards. hollywood seems to be celebrating strong women. >> at last. at last. >> with "zero dark thirty" and "lincoln" and we just saw "girls" is that something you're proud of? >> i'm proud women are doing so well. i've always written strong women. that's one of the secrets of my

success. women love my characters, you know. they love the male characters, too. i have flynn in the book, who reminds me a little of you. kind of like a navy s.e.a.l. guy. >> oh, please. you already put me in one of your books. >> i always do. i love the idea of a talk show host. i've written two talk show hosts both slightly based on you but not exactly. >> you're also changing the subject. >> quickly. >> real quickly you're writing an autobiography? >> i am. reform school or hollywood, which is what my parents said to me when i was thrown out of school. >> you made the right choice, by the way. >> number 29, that's amazing. >> thank you, matt. always. up next, the mom and the very tiny kitchen. behind the internet's most popular cooking blogs. first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:51 with an award-winning cooking blog that's developed something of a cult-like following. we found nbc's erica hill here in her kitchen. >> yes. >> she recently paid a visit to the smitten kitchen. >> this is a lot more space than you will find in the smitten kitchen. the first person to tell you she's not a chef. but by the looks of her website and new cookbook, both known as the smitten kitchen, you would never know it. >> do you want to make a cake with mommy? >> reporter: 3-year-old jacob has no idea how lucky he is.

>> show me you know how to crack an egg. good. >> good job. >> good. >> but for the thousands who follow his mom's blog, cooking with the creator of the wildly popular smitten kitchen would be heaven. the ingredients for her success, a combination of step-by-step photos and recipes and a very relatable approach to food. >> i don't think it should be hard for people to cook food that they love. >> a philosophy regularly put to the test in her tiny new york city kitchen. >> there's a big fascination with the size of your kitchen. new york city for a lot of people, it's normal, except they store stuff in their stove and you actually cook in yours. >> exactly. >> do you want to move eventually somewhere with a bigger kitchen? >> i would be crazy to say i don't want a bigger kitchen yet at the same time, i make it work. >> at just over 40 square feet, we couldn't fit in our crew but mounted cameras around the kitchen. >> i thiching it's good for my

recipe development to have such a small kitchen. it forces me to reign in ideas. i won't make a dish on a weekday night that has four bowls. how can we do this in three? >> not shy about the fact that she has no formal training. she just loves to cook. >> a lot of recipes are me challenge i challenging myself to make something that i thought i didn't like to make in a way that i love. >> like meatloaf. a comfort food staple she's never cared for, until she realized it was just a meatball in disguise. >> a reader said you know the difference between meatballs and meatloaf is almost nothing. >> it's the size essentially? >> exactly. >> there's a clear sense of community on the site and plenty of sharing. >> i love to be able to just chat with people. >> deb personally answers all of her e-mail and regularly responds to comments on her blog. >> somebody will say, oh, i made this with ground turkey. it works really well. i was like, great, i didn't even realize that. >> perhaps the best comment she

ever received was from her husband, alex, long before they said i do. >> do you remember what you were commenting on? >> she posted a recipe for a red pepper hummus dip or something like that. i said that sounds really good. maybe i'll make this for this party i'm going to next week. >> red pepper hummus was just the beginning. what was the first meal you cooked for him? >> first meal i cooked forim was -- i was like, you don't like my cooking? >> she has a selective memory. i loved it. and, you know, that was pretty much it. >> reporter: nearly ten years later, he's still smitten and a proud member of his wife's fan club. >> looks great. >> reporter: in many ways she's achieved the ultimate balance. though a little improvement on her office space wouldn't hurt. >> i want a fridge that doesn't freeze the things in the back of the fridge. >> not asking very much.

>> no. >> maybe just a little bit bigger that you could fit something more. she has made a great use of the space they have there. >> teeny, tiny kitchen as you can see. >> it is. >> she can have a dinner party. >> she can. i said how many people are the most you've ever cooked for? >> she said eight is kind of our limit. they store their dishes in another room. it's very much the convertible new york city apartment where they move things around so her sons toys can get in. >> necessity is the mother of invention. >> absolutely. >> very impressive. thank you very much, miss erica. >> you're welcome. >> i'm not a detective but i think in the 9:00 hour we're doing some kind of mardi gras themed recipe. >> i think so. >> nothing gets past her, nothing. >> inspector clouseau. kate upton will be back to help us out with "today's" take three and last-minute creative gift ideas for your valentine. we'll see natalie's psa tomorrow, an issue near and dear to her. >> i'll have my little friend along with me to help me out.

first a check of your local news and weather. good morning, i'm eun yang. learning more about the murder/suicide of a umd student.

one student shot two housemates over a fire he started. he then shot and killed himself. doctors expect one to survive, and one died. as we approach mad morning, temperatures rather chilly. low and mid-40s. winds are gusting around 15, 20 miles an hour. they'll stblustery the rest of e day. clouding up tonight. tomorrow, light rain in the afternoon changing to a little afternmy mom doesn't drinkttle starbucks coffee

because she thinks it's too dark, and so i brought her some blonde roast. she loves it now. "my son made me this coffee," "you should try it, it's delicious." ♪

and some people found that a little bit strong. but as soon as they tasted blonde roast, boy they were on board. ♪ good morning. in the first 4 traffic office, still looking at the earlier accident. the inner loop of the beltway at 295. crash in the local lanes blocking your left lane. you are absolutely jammed at blanch avenue. slowest

tuesday, february 12th, 2013. i'm willie geist along with al ro roker, natalie morales and our special guest back with us from the "sports illustrated" swimsuit cover for the second year in a row, kate upton. you're used -- i'm looking at photo and thinking to myself, you're used to -- >> what are you thinking, willie? >> i'm going to go to a different place to save myself.

they say you're going to an arct arctica. >> i say have you sure me? i'm from florida. i don't know if we're thinking this through. >> this is the seven continent shoot. did you draw the short end of the straw on that one? >> when i heard the theme, such a powerful scene and i was chosen for antarctica. >> what was your impressions of the weather, the penguins, all that was around you? >> it was the most beautiful place i've ever been. every time before i took off my coat, i would enjoy just the views and, i mean, the mountains were pink and the water was glass. it looked like little ice cubes were in the water. it was gorgeous. >> there were a couple of photos throughout this issue of you. how long did it take to do? i'm imaging how cold you are as you're doing it. >> i could really only do it for a minute and then everyone would come running and they would

build me like a little blanket cave, hold me. >> you are back-to-back, first time that's happened since tyra banks did it in 1997. can you talk about how it changed your life a year ago and what it means to be back-to-back this time? >> so amazing i was able to accomplish that. i'm really happy about it. i think, you know, the first year i didn't know what a huge impact it would be on my life. i feel like maybe i'm a little more prepared this year. >> talk about suffering for your art. you suffered some ill effects like frostbite and other issues once you got back from the shoot. >> i went all out for this. we went there thinking we might not even get a shot and came back with the cover. >> you didn't know, but i guess it was leaked originally, i guess on friday,s h is how you found out. does that take the oomph out of it? i guess it's like christmas when

you find out. but as the cover girl it got leaked to you. >> i like to know everything. i was excited. i was able to prepare, get a few more dresses. you know, for girls that's the thing. >> i'm with you on that. i love that. we've got a little surprise coming up at the end of this segment. kate is going to turn the tables, shall we say. >> uh-oh. >> that's a very vague tease. there might be some blue steel coming out. that was our take one. take two, the end of the landline telephone. at&t customers report rate increases now as much as 50% has a lot of people saying good-bye to the landline. the question is, do you even still have a landline? i don't have one in my home. >> i just gave up my landline. for a little bit, i didn't even know my apartment offered that, so -- >> i still have one because in the event of a sandy or something like that, if you are completely dependent on cell service, you're going to be out

of luck. and, in fact, in our basement we have an old phone -- it's still touch tone. there's still current that runs through the phone line that allows the phones to work. >> mr. disaster preparedness. >> red phone. >> yeah. >> we'll come over to your place for all our emergency calls. >> and have a great party because i've got penguins in the basement. >> finally! >> it's interesting, because i think this generation of kids -- i don't think they're going to know a landline phone. >> it's not unlike the u.s. postal service conversation we had last week. there's some kind of nostalgia for the old way of things. >> part of the problem is that the landline business has been deregulated and now these companies can charge whatever they want. while they're regulated the increases were fairly moderate and they still made a profit. now it's all bets are off. >> and they just say you're out of luck. we're going to keep raising the rates. take three now is -- i don't know. i guess we're going to call it a

breakfast drink. hard to associate mountain dew with breakfast but they're trying. it's called kick start. we've got some of it here. i guess we're going to test drive some of this. >> yeah. >> kate, are you a coffee person in the morning? >> honestly, i can't give up my coffee. >> okay. >> but -- >> this has some juice. >> 5% juice? >> 5% juice, it's so healthy. >> 8 0 calories, that's good. >> a big can like this. >> pepsi is not calling it an energy drink. this is a breakfast drink. remember that as you drink it down. >> it's good. it has 92 milligrams of caffeine. >> which, by the way, in a 16-ounce can is less than a starbucks cup of coffee. >> that has like 330 milligram. >> it tastes like mountain dew, oddly enough. >> oddly, it's made by mountain dew. >> cherry mountain dew. >> kate, would you do this in the morning? >> not in the morning. maybe afternoon. >> it kind of defeats the purpose. this is kind of a morning drink.

>> but in the afternoon, right? >> i have a coffee in the afternoon. >> there you go. >> mix it into your routine. >> how about you? >> i'm not going to do it. thank you for the offer. >> i like it. >> do you? >> it's that 5% juice, you know. >> we're going to slam these, power chug these as natalie takes care of the news. good morning, everyone. in the news the u.n. security council is holding an emergency meeting today to deal with north korea's latest provocation, the reinclusive communist country announced it conduct ed a third nuclear test today. president obama called it a threat to u.s. security and international peace. a vatican spokesman said today that pope benedict xvi will not play any role in running the church when he steps down at the end of this month. and today in germany the pope's brother said benedict plans to keep a low profile and may not publish any new writings so they don't interfere with the work of the new pope. president obama lays out the agenda for the start of his second term during tonight's state of the union address.

he is expected to focus on job decr creation and middle class growth as well as gun control. the republican response will be delivered by florida senator marco rubio. it will now be at least thursday before a cruise ship stranded in the gulf of mexico reaches port. carnival cruise line says the ship drifted so far north it will be towed to mobile, alabama, instead of to a closer port in mexico. the carnival triumph, with more than 4,000 passengers and crew members lost power after an engine room fire this weekend. chicago police have arrested two men in connection with the murder of teen hadiya pendleton just days after first lady michelle obama attended the girl's funeral. pendleton had performed at the president's inauguration as a majorette last month. and if anyone ever accuses you of throwing like a girl, just show them this. colorado high schooler anna olson shot this basket, launching the ball all the way across the court, big bounce and

nothing but net. don't want to know how you score that, but i guess she only got two points because of that bounce. doesn't seem fair, though. creative shot. pretty good. yeah, very good. >> it's a two-pointer because it bounced. >> it bounced before it went in, right. >> paging lynn berman. we'll see that again. >> that's for sure. >>ck of the weather. ahead of the storm, a lot of wet weather from new orleans, celebrating fat tuesday on into florida. looking at heavy rain. we've got flood watches and flash flood warning out there. as we take a look. rainfall wise, anywhere from three to five inching of rain. back side of this system, talking about snow. that's right. we've got winter storm warnings and winter storm watches in effect. a lot 6 snow from amarillo on into oklahoma city. anywhere from three to six inches. some areas, though, picking up up to a foot of snow between elk city and oklahoma city. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your

neck of the woods. that storm is um can coming our way tomorrow. i'm meter ongs tom kierein. a bit of a blustery northwest wind diminishing tonight. cloudy tomorrow. could get rain initially changing to snow and ending late on wednesday night just maybe an inch or two accumulation mainly on grassy areas melting on roads. sun returns on thursday-friday. perhaps more snow and that's your latest weather. >> i'm not quite sure what's happening here. a couple of fans are about to shoot at us. >> what? >> i understand you're going to be photographing us? >> yes. i'll show you what it's like to be a model, even if you're not shooting in antarctica, every set makes sure to have a fan so that you're very cool. >> and blow the hair, do the whole thing? >> we've got two. >> beyonce fan? >> we have props, right?

>> where do you want us? >> go ahead, hand us whatever you want to give us. all right. work the props. >> pretty hands. >> not the claw? >> no. maybe in the pocket. >> handle the problems. >> these pictures are actually going to be on our website for the fans, right? >> oh, we lost it. >> work it, willie. >> chin down. >> chin down. >> why the chin down? is that a better angle? >> for the lighting. >> you're a natural. >> what should we be up to here? >> look natural. you both look very natural right there. >> don't hurt me with that cane. >> you're being photographed by kate upton right now, al. >> very cool. >> kate upton, thank you.

congratulations on the cover. >> thank you so much. >> coming up next, i'm wearing a boa. i'll take that off. brandi glanville from real house wives of beverly hills has a new book. we'll talk to her in a minute. h a new book. we'll talk to her in a minute. [ mom ] with my little girl, every food is finger food. so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but after one day's use, dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of new bounty duratowel. look! a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth, as this black light reveals. it's durable, cloth-like and it's 3 times cleaner. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to new bounty duratowel. the durable, cloth-like picker-upper.

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from the brand doctors recommend most. new honey bunches of oats greek yohere we go.ole grain. honey cornflakes and chunks of greek yogurt. i'm tasting both the yogurt and the honey at the same time. i'm like digging this yogurt thing. i feel healthy. new honey bunches of oats greek. you got yourself mcdonald's new fish mcbites. hit it! ♪ fish-ay! fish-ay! [ male announcer ] you can catch a lot with a dollar. like the snack size of mcdonald's new fish mcbites. ♪ ba da ba ba ba delicious. but say i press a few out flat... add some beef sloppy joe sauce... and cheese fold it all up and boom! i just made an unbeatable unsloppy joe pillsbury grands biscuits. let the making begin.

pillsbury grands biscuits. see lioutdoors, or in.ight. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you. you said that was absolutely not true. >> it is not true. >> i have proof. >> and you know it. >> it is true. >> you are joking.

>> brandi glanville describes herself as honest and filter free. she's known for speaking her mind on bravo's "the real housewives of beverly hills" as you just see. that clip real quick, was there a little drinking and tweeting going on there as well? >> yes. absolutely. always. >> how are you and adrienne do? >> who? >> that's how we're going to start, okay. let's talk about the book. you wrote most of it four years ago at a time when your marriage was breaking up. do you regret anything you put in there now that you would like to have out of there if you could do it again? >> no. i was very angry, obviously, four years ago when i wrote the book. there were things in there that i did take out because i was so mad like, oorks maybe that's too much of a low blow. and also the lawyers had me take some things out as well. >> obviously, you were mad at your ex-husband, who left you

essentially for leann rhymes. among other things you call him a made for tv actor, a pretty face, not a talented actor. i understand and a lot of people would understand why you're angry, but he is the father of your two kids. >> right. >> is it appropriate to put that out there in public? >> you know, i don't know if i do everything that's appropriate in life. the fact of the matter is, that is my opinion and one day all of this will be available for my kids to read and i think what they're going to take away from it is that throughout this entire time, i've never said a bad word about their dad in front of them. they ask if we can go and all move into a house together. i'm like, sure, just talk to your dad. >> they're going to be at the age soon where they'll see this online and see what you said about their father. >> not at my house. we have parental controls. they can't google certain things. >> eventually. >> eventually, they will, for sure. >> we reached out to eddie and he gave us a statement. quote, i certainly wish i

handled some of the choices i made four years ago differently. but i have been conscious of the choices i have made since. this exploitive book, intended to hurt leann and me will ultimately only hurt and scar my kids. that deeply saddens and concerns me. do you worry about the kids? >> that's all i worry about. with eddie not working and me having to pay my own bills, this book will help me do that. the fact that, unfortunately, i had to write this book, i have to pay the bills. he's not doing that for me. >> what's your relationship like with eddie right now? >> we don't have one now. >> you don't speak at all? >> no. >> you don't see him in the course of dropping the kids off or picking the kids up? >> no. >> you did have a relationship not long ago. how did that deteriorate of late? >> unfortunately, you know, she -- leann went to rehab. and i was very concerned for my children, what was going on over at that house. why that had to happen. and i didn't get any answers. and i got very angry.

you know, it's my children's stepmother. so, if she's checking into rehab for stress and anxiety and says she's crying every day, i need to know my kids are okay when they're with them. so that kind of started the ugly back and forth again and, you know, there was a time when we were good. i had them over for easter. it was just them, me and the kids for an easter egg hunt. it's difficult. >> what are your concerns when your kids are over there, given what you said about leann and eddie? what do you think is happening there that should concern you? >> i don't know. if someone is checking into rehab clearly there's some sort of issues going on. i want to make sure that's not affecting my children. >> you write in the book of leann rhymes, among other things, call her a washed up country singer. child stars are just the worst. throughout their careers no one tells them knno. they think they can take anything they want without

repercussions. you're talking, of course, about i don't you are husband. you've had this twitter war. she says she wants to move on and you won't let her. >> i don't tweet leann. i try to leave them out of my timeline. i really do. >> do you feel that you and leann will ever have a relationship because of the kids that can be at least stable, something that will help the children? >> i hope so. i think once leann has a child of her own and understands kind of boundaries and what's okay and what's respectful as far as, you know, being a parent goes that she and i will hopefully be okay. i hope so. >> do you think this book does anything to forward that relationship? >> no. >> how about the relationship with your husband? >> my husband? i'm not married. >> your ex-husband, excuse me. excuse me. >> no. >> and you're okay with that? >> i'm okay with that. >> so are you okay with having no relationship from this moment forward with eddie or leann? >> i haven't had a relationship

with them for probably over a year. do i want to be at mason's high school graduation and be able to sit next to them? i do, absolutely. they've done numerous sit-down interviews where they've told their side of the story over and over and over again. i never did. this is my sit-down interview. i put it in the form of a book. this is my story, my truth. here you go. when this book tour is done, i'm done talking about them completely, in public, not on twitter, nothing. this is my side. this is my last chapter when it comes to talking about them publicly. >> the book is very tough in some places, very funny in a lot of other places. your fans are going to love it. brandi glanville, the book is "drinking, tweeting and other brandi blunders." ooh kfc. hey, you're supposed to wait for everybody. you know what, while we're waiting why don't we play a game of hide and seek? right now? yeah go hide. go on buddy. one, two... [ son ] come and find me!

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♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. today is going to be epic. quaker up. this thursday is valentine's day but also the two-month anniversary of those tragic school shootings in newtown, connecticut. >> grassroots group wants your help in honoring the 26 lost. >> you can go online to twitter, facebook, google plus, pinterest, any of those, and sind an electronic valentine to let them know you're thinking of

them. >> they're calling it the one million hearts campaign to mark this two-month anniversary. >> to learn more about the one million hearts campaign, create your own valentine. head to today.com. we're back after your local news. together for breakfast. in fact, they might work too well. [ ding! ] [ shuffling, scooting ] [ clears throat ] [ children laugh ] [ female announcer ] golden, crispy outside. warm and fluffy inside. we are one good-looking family. [ children laugh ] [ female announcer ] eggo waffles. simply delicious. progress-oh! [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons people are saying "progress-oh!" share your progress-oh! story on facebook. i'll tell you what we do. i want you to go out on the field

and look for anything with an "o". we will win this for mother russia! coach, eat a snickers®. why's that, chief? you get a little loopy when you're hungry. better? better. now let's go for it! [ male announcer ] you're not you when you're hungry®. snickers® satisfies. good morning. it's 9:26 on this tuesday february 12th. i'm aaron gilchrist. feeling like spring. another dose of winter is around the corner. check in with tom kierein. >> climbing higher and higher, the sun. earlier sunrises. later sunsets and later today up into the low 50s. now still in the 40s and wind diminished but should pick up and diminish tonight. tomorrow, cloudy. rain in the afternoon. changing to wet snow before ending midnight on wednesday night. just maybe an inch or two accumulation on grassy areas mainly, is the way it looks now.

maybe a little more snow on saturday. aaron? >> thank you, tom. a c (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. whoo! you walk with friends, you meet new friends, and you keep those friendships. it was such a beautiful experience. (woman) ♪ and it's beautiful ♪ undeniable (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because everyone deserves a lifetime. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information today. ♪ burning like a fire ♪ building up from deep inside it was 3 days of pure joy.

susan g. komen's investments in early detection and treatment have helped reduce breast cancer mortality in the u.s. by 33% since 1990. help us continue serving the millions of women and men with breast cancer who still need us every day. register for the 3-day now. (woman) it's just been an amazing, amazing journey. i love these people. ♪ and it's beautiful good morning. traveling i-95 southbound in virginia, fairfax county parkway, expect delays about a mile, because this crash that just is clear to your right shoulder lane was blocking the

right side. excuse me. the right side of the roadway. two of the left lanes were getting by. so let's head over this time, inner loop of the beltway. 295. that earlier accident cleared. jammed to the wilson bridge. and the nbc news coverage of ♪ [ oz ] no! ♪ am i dreaming? ♪ [ theodora ] you're in oz. you're the only one strong enough to save us all.

♪ ♪ ♪ [ wicked witch cackles ] [ male announcer ] rated pg. most surprising thing was twitter changing tweet with his the dalai lama. he said geez, you sure ran out of steam quick. i've been the dalai llama. then the pope tweeted i guess being pope is a lot harder than just wearing a bed sheet all day #get a real job. then he wrote back at least i don't wear a -- pope responded come on, son, you know my hat is dope. don't hate the playa, hate the game #jealous much. >> my hate is dope says the pope. jimmy fallon. >> i love him. so creative.

>> got ugly. >> i'm telling you. >> a smackdown. >> little bit there. >> i'm willie geist along with al and natalie. coming up this morning, two days left. you know, this morning we've got diy last-minute valentine's day ideas for the ones you love. >> you know jeff probst from survivor. he has taken that idea, written adventure series for kids. >> and we brought the fat tuesday party to the kitchen with chicken and sausage gumbo you can make tonight. >> sounds good. let's get a check of the weather. starting off w starting with today, looking at a rick of severe weather down around, right around new orleans. into the panhandle of florida. wet weather through the midplains. expecting showers and mountain snows in the pacific northwest. lake-effect snow, western new york and pennsylvania. for tomorrow, the rain moves into the mid-atlantic coast with a slight risk of strong storms in northern florida into southern georgia. more mountain snows in the pacific northwest. sunny and mild, completely

through the texas area on into the southwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. we have changes on the way. here's the storm team 4 seven-day outlook. sunshine now. the winds not bad, picking up later. lots of sun, low 50s. then rain tomorrow afternoon. maybe changing over to snow tomorrow night. i don't think a lot of accumulation. maybe an inch or two. mainly on grassy areas. melting on roadways. then sun back for a couple of days after that. and then on saturday, we could get another light snow as we get into saturday afternoon and evening. then and that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. jest brobst is best known as the emmy-winning host of survivor. he has taken that idea, written an adventure series for kids based on the question, what would happen if four kids were shipwrecked on an island and left to fend for themselves? the book is called stranded. we should also mention he is the host of the jeff probst show as

well. good morning to you. >> good morning gnatry. >> nice to have you back who are. >> thanks for having me. >> people have long asked why not do a survivor series for kids? >> survivor is such a family show. that's what they say, when are you going to do one for kids? since we have not yet dropped an 8, 9, 10, 11-year-old on an isla island, we thought we'll write the book, put the kids in there. could you find food, build shelter, build a fire? >> this is such a blended story. you bring your own personal experience in this as well. when you married lisa, she had two kids to add to the family. >> she brought these two amazing little kids who were so -- they were young enough they were excited to have another dad in their life. we went looking for fiction. and there's nothing out there, virtually nothing. so this is a story of a mom and dad who each bring two kids and say let's send them out on a sailing trip to get to know each other. a storm comes in and -- >> they're shipwrecked. >> and they're stranded. >> and they don't always get along, right? >> no. because they don't even know

each other yet. what survivor does and what "stranded" does, it forces you to work together through the conflict. and there's three books in this series. so they get to know each other. then they learn how to is your voiv and ultimately are trying to get rescued. >> they each have a skill set. one is good at lighting fires, the other is good at hunting, finding water. >> the kids are very different. one is kind of a couch potato that watches survivor shows. the other is more of the athlete. there's two girls. one is the gatekeeper and journalist. each of them bring their different skills in over the course of the journey, which is why i say it is survivor for kids. it's the same idea. >> did you bring sort of that blended family experience to this as well, allowing them to go through the challenges as -- >> yes. >> -- kids growing up in that environment? >> yes. that is the point. they are really going to mature quickly. but also they're going to learn that this new brother i have, maybe he's not so bad after all.

maybe he actually brings something into my life, in the way that kids do. first usually by saying i don't know if i like you so much or not. the big part of the story is adventure. it is full-on survivor adventure. >> this is the age group of 8 to 10. >> 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, yeah. the characters are 8 to 13. so right in that range. >> and we know that it continues. you said it's the first of three. they're still stranded? >> oh, yes. they're still stranded at the end of book one. >> okay. survival skills will come in handy. congrats on the show. >> thanks. >> keep it going. >> thanks for having me on. >> jeff probst, thank you so much. coming up next, last-minute valentine's gifts right after this. this is bob, a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke.

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always good to the last drop. ♪ yer always after me lucky charms! whoa. i forgot how good these taste! [ lucky ] ♪ they're magically delicious >> announcer: "today" celebrates valentine's day is brought to you by m & ms.

life is better with m & ms. "today" celebrates valentine's day, last-minute gift ideas. good to see you again, brit. >> good to see you. >> i was going to wear my hard hat. last time you were on, i think we have video of it. >> uh-oh. >> this is what happened. i was standing next to you, not less than twoweeks ago and you smashed an egg on my head. >> it had confetti. >> and then you brought in tamron. >> i think she went way harder than i did. >> i'm worried because we do have eggs in front of us. >> yes. the first thing is breakfast. right way to kick off the day. we made a hearty breakfast. heart-shape egg, use iing a heart-shaped egg mold here. that's a little bit of protein. if you want to add milk, we customized these straws using cut-out foam hearts, make it

cuter for your honey. >> where do you get the foam hearts? >> you cut it out of foam. diy. fill it with your own tea. of course, custom diy sugar koo cubes made out of food coloring dyed with plain white sugar kt with cookie cutters. of course, cereal and milk. the love of my life deserves the best cereal ever. >> you make your own box cover? >> exactly. i recommend honey bunches of oats is another good one. have fun of with it. take notes here. >> i need this. >> first time you can send cannedi and flowers in one. >> together? >> yes. >> good. >> small face in between and candy on the edges and just start pouring it like this. once you fill up, put your flowers in like this, deliver it to your valentine.

sweets for your sweet. >> you get a little two for one there. >> exactly. speaking of sweets, chocolate is something that makes valentine's day complete. >> yes. >> we've taken your average chocolate bars, snickers, twix, peppermint pattys with rolled-out fruit candies, star burst, airheads. you use your cookie cutter once you roll them out to cut out shapes. >> do they roll out well? >> exactly. >> just like that. >> just like that. exactly. you need a little bit of powdered sugar to roll it out smooth. top your candy. package it up in this clear wrap, add sprinkles if you like. >> cut up the candy and top the snickers bar. >> exactly. making our own jewelry? >> we're making our own jewelry. did you notice my bracelet today? >> did you make that? >> yes. this is using nothing but this brass wire, stencil or design p.

you can write words, use hearts. mold the design with the wire. you can see that this one even sticks together using nothing but the wire itself, no clasp needed. >> you have to have a little art skill. >> you just follow -- cursive. did you learn that? >> first she's cracked an egg, now she's cracking on me. twitter handle on there, a little narcissistic? >> it's a little geeky. >> don't you want to go buy the card? >> it's way cooler if you make the card. these will only take you a couple of minutes. don't worry. you can do it. first is a pixel heart, continuing with the geek twitter handle. this has been pinned on pinterest tens of thousands of times. cut out a little heart with scissors. typical first grade pop-up you're used to. we have a deck of playing cards to create king of heart and queen of heart cards.

you can give it to your king or queen of hearts. >> that's a good idea. >> isn't that fun? across this card here we used a push pin to create holes in a piece of cardstock, embroidery thread and needle to stitch it up. if you want to create your own gift wrap or custom cards, everyone has a pencil. >> right. >> we exacto knifed a heart from the pencil eraser. this is an easy way to make a stamp. start stamp iing. you want to give it a try? there you go. keep going. >> want to see a lot of hearts on that? >> heart attack. give it to me. look at you. >> you thought i couldn't do it. >> your wife will love it. >> pretty good. >> super easy. super simple. >> most of this stuff costs you a couple of bucks shall right? >> yeah. candy. flowers you might want to splurge on. >> very cool. thank you so much. always good to talk to you. brit will be guest pinning on our valentine's board today. check out pinterest.com/today

show. thanks, brit. up next, mardi gras taste of new orleans right here in new york when we come back. ♪ and i would do anything for love... ♪ ♪ but i won't do that ♪ or that ♪ or this definitely not this! it hurts but i kind of like it! ♪ it hurts but i kind of like it! backflips and cartwheels.mile? love, warmth. here, try this. mmmm, ok! ching!

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this morning in "today's" kitchen, what's for dinner? how about som mardi gras grub? from the new orleans restaurant, restaurant revolution. chef, good to see you. >> nice to be back with you. >> you know, it's fat tuesday and you're doing some great cajun creole cooking. it encompasses a large number of cultures. >> seven different nations arriving in louisiana and all bringing their food, philosophy, technique and it all ends up in one of the dishes we're showing today. of course, restaurant revolution right at bourbon street, times square of new orleans. and we're doing the foods that are important to new orleans culture. >> starting with? >> this is the gumbo. we're starting with the dark brown, equal parts oil and flour. we cook it to 385 degrees to get color, texture, flavor. you want to throw in -- notice

onion, pepper and garlic. kitchen is supposed to be messy, right? the sausage, very heavy smoked. go ahead and put that in. that's what really brings the smoke into our gumbo, the sausage. and then this is a chick en chi gumbo, certainly the gumbo that the writers of carnivale use. put all the chicken in. we would saw today this around. you can see the pot is already filled. we would saw today this around to bring the juices out of the chicken. of course, for demonstration purposes, nice chicken stock is going to go in. you can stir that up for me there. salt, pepper, gran lated garlic. of course, onion, celery, bell pepper, all those wonderful flavors. seven to one basically will be the ratio of water to stock.

partner of mine in new orleans at revolution, this is one of the things that is so important that the world understands. without that dark brown base, this is one of the first things we want to teach them, what the importance of this. this is going to cook for about two hours on a low simmer and all the smoke of that sausage and everything will come into the pot. i have some right here. look what it looks like in this beautiful mardi gras tourine, sausage and all that. i have some right here. of course, ground leaves of the sassa sassafras tree, gift of the native americans flavor the dish. so that's -- now we can't have mardi gras without the homes filled with these dishes. crab cake, jumbo lump crab mete meat, with our roumalade sauces,

hot sauces. oysters, i'm using the 505 salsa. i always use salsa. paying homage to the spanish cultures of america. certainly this is one of my favorite salsas here. the king cakes. you cannot have carnivale without the two king cakes. this one is toasted coconut, largest african-american parade in new orleans and then, of course, the purple, green and gold royalty, springtime and wealth. that's where the little baby comes. >> i always wondered what the colors mean. >> of course, if you get the baby, that means you throw the next party. >> chef, thank you so much. >> happy mardi gras to

everybody. >> that's right. we're back in a moment. first this is "today" on nbc.

before we go, let's check out some of the photos super model kate upton took of us earlier. >> look at al. >> sinister looking. >> oh, yeah, that's mardi gras right there. >> puff daddy willie g. >> we're actually pathetic. >> i don't think they'll be calling us for sports illustrated next year. >> no. they may call us for popular mechanics. coming up tomorrow, by the way, steals and deals for you. up next, kathie lee and hoda from southern california after your local news and weather.

good morning. it's 9:57 on this tuesday, february 12th. i'm aaron gilchrist. we are working to learn more about a murder/suicide involving university of maryland students at an off-campus home. one shot two housemates who confronted him over a fire he started. he then shot and killed himself.

one died. the other is expected to survive. and check the forecast with meteorologist tom kierein. welcome sunshine, beautiful skies over the area, approaching 10:00, near 50 in washington. right there at reagan national. elsewhere in the mid and upper 40s. most of the reagion reaching th low 50s. rain changing to snow tomorrow night. danella, how's traffic? traveling northbound in virginia, north of edsel road, a crash blocking the roadways. i-95 clear in both directions. (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year.

visit the3day.org to register or to request more information today. it was 3 days of pure joy. ♪ and it's beautiful

♪ from nbc news this is a special edition of "today" with california girls kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from santa monica place in santa monica, california. ♪ >> hello. >> you know, february 12th. it's fat booze day tuesday to us. >> it is. i always spend -- i try to spend mardi gras in new orleans, but i have to say this is not a shabby

place to spend mardi gras. we have some beads. do you all want some beads? come on. we got beads right here for you. she lost an eye, but she's fine. yeah, baby. i'm not finisheded yet. there's still more to give. oh, yes. yes. oh, oh. oh. i got the last two big ones. in the cheap seats, baby. all right. you guys happy mardi gras. >> it's an old-fashioned -- >> i like your hat. >> thanks. >> oh, thank you. >> problem apparently with me. >> so it is fat tuesday, and it's fat tuesday for a couple of reasons. one, kathie lee and me feel

incredibly bloated. we did. we ate our way. >> we ate our way across los angeles the other day with our dear friend curry stone, the top chef. >> i promise you, we went to every restaurant. we went to that shushi place called catsuya. the sushi was crazy. we just kept eating. >> tacos. >> we couldn't fit into our spanx. we hate ourselves. >> it gives new meaning to fat tuesday. it just does. that's not going to stop us from continuing the tour. what are we having, hode? >> we are having a pom granite margarita for mardi gras. >> children, closure eyes and your ears. it's good for your sex life. >> they call it fat tuesday. you guys wonder why they call it fat tuesday? >> it's a great story. >> there's an ancient custom that comes from parading around a fat ox around paris. >> which in our politically

correct world you're not supposed to call nebraska a fat ox, but they did it. right around paris where everybody was so skinny. that was supposed to remind people that they're not to eat meat during lent. >> is that the point? >> this is a religious holiday, hoda. >> i thought it was for drinking and showing off your you know whats, but i lived in new orleans for many years, and i have seen many a mardi gras, and i saw a lot of you know whats, but it's not just celebrate in new orleans. they celebrate it in biloxi, mess miss, and around the world in different places. in rio de janeiro and belgium. sdoo and also today in santa monica. >> yeah. you guys, we're noticing some very, very cool signs out in the audience. there's a sign right there in the back where two happy faces peeking right through. we are looking for your sign as we do our chat. we're talking and listening and looking for your sign. we're going to pick our favorite sign, and then you're going to get a present, and we don't know what it is because we didn't

bring any gifts with us. it will be something on the table. you can have. there is something -- there's a mardi gras tradition called the king cake. >> hoda didn't know about it. >> i did know. >> all those years in -- come on. all those years in new orleans. >> there's a baby in the king cake, and whoever gets the baby has to buy the next king cake. >> baby jesus. she didn't understand that. >> i don't like tearing it up. i'll hold it. you tear it up. go. get involved. whoever gets the baby has to buy the next king cake. be gentle because i like the -- oh, oh, oh. >> can you -- you know what, we're going to need some help from the audience i think with this. >> look what you can do. >> i found the baby. >> you did? you did? >> it's baby jesus. >> you get to buy the next king cake. >> i don't want to. all the years we've been doing this i have never found the baby. >> it's such a great adventure.

>> it's a sign. of what i don't know, but -- okay. let's continue the show. >> all right, you guys. anyway, is my mike really not working anymore, guys? >> no, it's not. it's not working. you can use that one. we're talking about jet lag because we flew from new york to l.a. >> go ahead. keep talking. i'm in show business. the show goes on. the show goes on. keep talking, hoda. >> all right. jet lag is one of those -- oh, god. >> just don't call attention to it. nobody notices. >> disgusting. >> i got it under my nails too. wait, wait, wait. >> oh. i knew you ruined a perfectly good drink. you're sick. you are gross. forget it. forget about jet lag. we fly across the country and you get tired. what we found out is people in l.a. are different from new york. the coasts are completely different, as you guys know. one of the ways people are different is in the way they speak. we're getting the hang of it.

we're learning and listen, but there's some interesting tape, and this nutshells how people in l.a. talk. let's take a listen. >> take mountain. >> just take pass. >> take the 5 to the 605 to the 210 and the 134 to 101. >> can you believe it's january? >> you look so skinny. >> do you have almond milk? >> gogi berry. >> i love kale. >> do you have neglect organic? >> this is why i only drink intensa coffee. >> this is why i drink coconut water. >> i love new york, but i would never want to live there. >> why do i never go to the beach when it's right there? >> i have been craving this for days. >> grilled cheese animal style and fries animal style. >> i love in and out. >> i just had a juice are. >> i sat next to jack nicholson at the lakers dame. >> there's david spade. >> i know him. >> i think he is on "dexter" or something. whatever. >> wow. >> i used to live out here years ago, and i lived in the valley,

and they never spoke like an idiot. >> and my god. i like that kind of valley girl talk. do you? >> for an egyptian, you come naturally to it, hoda. you really do. >> i was born in oklahoma. >> but you started out -- your roots are in cairo. the san fernando vaey. >> let's talk about love because it is -- valentine's day, we're knocking on the door. how would you define love? we went on our klg and hoda.com page, and we asked people to send in pictures of what they thought love was. >> love is different. two different people. >> here is one of the pictures. >> is that the one -- >> the one with the two little kids? it is such a beautiful shot. oh, no. this is two people. they said these people categorize love as endless. >> knee been married a long, long time. scloo they're really adorable. >> then there was a beautiful picture. ruth cramer. >> good one. >> 75 years old. yep, yep. what's up now? >> here's the little kids.

>> that's dana creek and she says love is capturing the moment that defines us as parents. i would agree with that. >> here's kathie lee's definition of love. she's with one of the guys that works -- >> i am spanking him and it's called love is no accident. that happens to be kyle miller, who is the sweetest kid in the whole world. >> he is like roger straight arrow. let's see your signs, you guys. i wish we could get up and pick a sign. >> i can't, hoda. there's a reason for it. >> stay here. stay here. stay. >> i love this one. two grammys from oklahoma. >> let's get a shop. >> our husbands think we're at the grocery store. >> that's the three girls right in the front row. >> i love hoda, i love wine. >> how about the back. happy hour. >> sorry. >> wait. she's the hoda to my kathie lee. she's the kathie lee to my hoda. >> i like that too. i drank every day on my cruise for you.

isn't that sweet? >> that is sweet. look over here. wait. look at this monkey. mr. giggles. >> what's he trying to say? >> i don't know. it's a little weird, but i'm liking it a lot. >> the winner is you guys. come here. come on up. come on up. what can we give them? >> let's give them -- >> there's only one mug. >> congratulations. >> not that drink. it's your drink. >> no, it's -- >> don't drink that drink. >> it's delicious. >> what are your names? >> dustin. >> what's your name? >> kia. >> you guys, you're very creative. let's get a good shot. we got a good shot of that? oh, don't drink it. >> there you go. >> all right, you guys. we have a big show for you today. a lot is coming up. >> we have no idea. >> we're going to tell you after this.

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we're the harris family. and we love chex. [ male announcer ] love chex? connect with us on facebook. l.a. is home to one of the hottest culinary scenes in the world, and we'll talk about some of the wine coming up. >> yes, we are. we had a tour of some of the best restaurants with one of the hottest guys we know. curtis stone. we love him.

>> yeah. >> unbelievable sandwiches. >> what's the special? ♪ >> this guy came out from the east coast. he started up this sandwich shop with incredible bread, really great ingredients, and he just does a super job. >> it's all fresh. can you tell. oh, my god. >> see how the bread is all -- >> i want to watch how you bite it. >> bite it. >> you bite it. >> you bite it. >> you bite it. >> oh. that was really good, curtis. very good. >> so here we are at katsu-ya. the famous japanese chef who does the most fabulous shushi.

>> yellow tail. >> do it. >> hmm. hmm. >> don't down the hatch with that. you'll regret it. >> we are going to meet him? >> oh, my god. there is the man himself. hmm. >> oh. >> chef, i'm trying to explain to them how you have the fish so soft, so tender. >> i get it fresh every single day. >> yellow tail, scallop and -- >> next place. let's go. >> this is dan tana's. this has been popular with the hollywood crowd for many years. >> i used to live here, and it was popular then. >> the wine first. >> all right. how are you doing?

>> hello. oh. hello. what is your name? >> andre. >> of course it is. >> of course it is. ♪ ♪ mambo italiana >> oh, hoda woman. that's a hunk of meat. >> you're a vegetarian, correct? >> that looks delicious. >> what a beautiful shot. >> you are showing us -- >> you really are, curtis. i'm loving it. >> we want to show you los angeles. >> would you order for us? >> let me do it. >> yucatan fish taco. here we have our grilled chicken sandwich. >> chicken. >> enjoy. >> hmm. that's really delicious. >> what are we eating? that's my question. >> fish. and this is -- what is this?

>> this is el pasto. it's like a chili sauce. >> i love that they're a family. don't you? >> the food is great. >> i love those guys. marriachi guys. >> thank you, everybody, for their hospitality. >> what are your guys really thinking? gets what came here to l.a. with us? >> our guys tell you all panel. day. now you can do it with dinner. introducing land o'lakes® sauté express®. the all-in-one sauté starter with butter, olive oil, herbs and spices...

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>> los angeles style, baby. >> here on the roster greg from "the quiet list" married for 20 years with three sons. yeah. >> bob host of "showdown." the radio show "happy hour." he is divorced and now single. >> jalille white from total blackout. you might know him as erkle, and he is single with a daughter. and last but certainly not least, from eye switched at birth" married with two beautiful children. >> what a shame that is. what a shame. >> we're going to take questions from the crowd. what do you have for snus. >> first up we've got claire from west hollywood. >> hi. my question is i've been dating my boyfriend for two years and don't want him to feel any pressure for valentine's day. do you guys have any kind of fun

care-free date ideas? >> oh, care-free date ideas. after two years of dating. >> i don't celebrate valentine's day. [ booing ] >> i got nobody. i'm divorced. you wonder why. i would say keep it light and fun. maybe, you know, a nice dinner. a little dancing. >> check this out. check this out. you need to dress up like daisy duke and have a picnic in the bedroom. >> i'm curious what gil has to say. >> i think i would go with you. i think it's fair to make it real, and if you love each other, that's the most important. just a good time. >> oh. >> i've been married for 20 years. what's sexy for us is not using a coupon. >> here's a facebook question from jennifer. why do men always have a hard

time expressing their feelings? are they scared to look like a softy? >> it's weird. i have no problem expressing my feelings. i never heard that before. only really hear i heard that men have to be -- >> real tough. >> it's you european men that have no trouble with that. >> i don't know. >> that's absolutely true. women express their feelings in groups. they talk about things. men don't do that. we really don't. >> i'm a mushy guy. i'm divorced. >> i know. >> i'm a mushy guy. i'm not afraid to lay it out there. >> away do you think? >> i don't think we have a problem expressing our feelings. we don't want those feelings used against us at a later date. >> there you go. >> that's it. okay. >> okay. she was a dj. that's why her name is so cool. >> hi, guys. >> hi. >> so my question is what is your biggest turn-off when you first meet a lady?

>> oh, good one. very good question. >> go for it. >> gil, what do you think? >> it's very difficult to ask me a turn-off when it comes to a woman per se because i don't see any turn-off in a woman. >> i have one. >> i have one. >> bob. >> i have someone who -- especially if i see them interacting with their family members or even with a waitress or waiter, if they're rude, i'm done. >> you're out? >> okay. >> yep. >> with amazing top -- >> she can do anything she wants. i love her. >> if she sleeps in the bed are her dog. >> oh. >> i got a problem with that. >> there's no hope for you and me. >> she's telling me you're not even number two. >> what do you think? >> if it's a male dog, i get very -- i don't want anybody

showing me up. it's been so long. i think if a woman doesn't eat. you take her out to dinner and she goes i want somebody that's at the salad bar pulling up a chair. >> we're going to take a commercial break and we're coming back with our boys right after this.

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and get a free upgrade to fios quantum... plus $250 back with a two-year agreement. visit verizon.com/superbonus. there's nothing like fios. and as pc mag says: [ male announcer #2 ] if it's available, you should get it. ♪ >> we are back with our guys tell all panel. who are they? >> you know who they are. >> i do. >> greg is here, jallil white, bob, and gil. we'll take another question from the audience for our men. sara, what do you have? >> i'm here with sarah from l.a. >> hi. my question is i tried the bar scene. i've tried on-line dating. where do you guys think is the best place to meet somebody? >> okay. >> the best place.

>> it works great. >> what do you guys think? where should women go if they want to meet a guy? >> what kind of guy? >> yeah. what kind of guy are you looking for? >> are you looking to settle down? are you looking to have some fun? what are you looking for? >> wholesome. >> you know, probably like in life don't really look for things, and they usually come. >> look at that. >> what do you think? >> i think people should always go to places that cater to their own interests, so if you are into yoga or let's go back to the girl that likes to have the dog sleep in the bed are her. go to a dog park. >> why does gil have on a scarf? >> it's very cold this morning. >> it was. >> but it's not now. take it off. take it off. take it off. >> why does gil have on a

jacket? it's so -- >> where are we now? >> let's get to our next question. here's the question. it's a facebook post from britney. do men really enjoy sending those mushy valentine's cards, or are we wasting our money? >> receive them. >> i think the question is sending. >> getting them. >> the impersonal card. the card that's written by somebody somewhere in a building somewhere. no. it's got to be personal. i really believe that. >> even if you made it with a crayon, it means you took some time and thought -- put some thought into it. >> jallil has a problem with that. >> i'm a valentine's day fan. all these guys beat up valentine's day. i just love it. it's great. >> do you like getting the mushy cards from your girlfriends? >> i'm sending myself a valentine's this year. >> we don't really do cards, per se. >> what do you do so we can live vicariously through you? >> it would take me all morning to explain what we do. the cards, it's fun.

i guess when you need somebody it's very important for somebody to write something with their own hand. it's nicer than getting a card. >> you write anything and have gil read it to her. >> i don't know what the hell he says, but i love it. >> another question. >> i came here from santa monica with a little question on pickup lines. make you should have void bob. he is going to ask about a rose. >> hi there. so i find it difficult to approach men that i find attractive. what would you recommend some of the best pick-up lines for a woman to use on a man? >> how do you approach a guy? short sentences. >> don't. >> how do you do it? >> walk up and say hi. i'm whatever my name is. i think that's nice. >> would you care for a glass of milk? i mean, you know, don't pretend that you're anything you're not. >> be real. be who you are. >> the art of a woman is women can flirt with their eyes like nobody's business. you just got to be -- that's it. >> just get in there.

>> just get -- >> i agree. i think the lady looks at the man and she is smiling and she feels like, you know right away a guy would pick on that and would go himself. i don't think the woman should go per se. i think -- >> it's a turn-off for you? >> i think -- >> you said there were no turn-offs with you with a woman? >> yeah. >> only with a way better accent. >> seriously, i think, yeah, the lady look straight in the eyes of a man, here he comes. >> i'm falling in love with him right now. seriously. >> i already have a william, and i'm going to leave her for him. >> thank you. thank you so much. >> we'll be right back. so... [ gasps ]

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spectacular. ♪ >> when you think of l.a., you think of beaches and hollywood and we're sitting on a ranch right now. >> right in the middle of hollywood. yeah, this is not what you normally think would be up here. >> are you a legit cowboy? >> i've been accused of it before, yeah. >> can i call you cowboy from here on out? >> if it makes you feel more comfortable. >> it does. what are we doing today? i heard we're taking a ride. >> we're going to be getting on some of these lovely equine animals. we're going to be going out to griffith park, which is one of the largest state parks in the country. 4,000 acres up there. >> we'll see the hollywood sign? >> we will have one of the closest views of the hollywood sign. >> i stretched and warmed up. i heard this is going to be a really long hike. my body is ready. let's go. i got this. well, she can. yep. you can do this. what a short ride. we're here, you guys. look, it's the hollywood sign. it's much smaller than i thought. >> that's not the real hollywood

sign. >> oh. >> welcome to hollywood, baby. ♪ i am just a cowboy ♪ ♪ a cowboy's life is the life for me ♪ >> everyone is fit in california, so it is time for me to get my workout. the horse did all the work in the hills. it's my turn, but i am not doing this alone. let's go get a furry friend. >> what are all these dogs doing here? sfoo well, all these dogs are homeless dogs. they're rescued from high kill shelters. >> this is my first time hiking in runyon canyon, and everybody tells me to do it with a dog no matter what. >> we call it a dog-panion. >> i'll take rusty. >> check out my cool dog. ♪ and they called it puppy love ♪ ♪ oh, i guess they'll never know ♪ >> now i've got to get some

doggy food out. i made a promise. >> do you have a dog? these are adepartmentable. you look like you want a dog. i saw it in your eyes. it was like this. do you have a dog? do you want one? oh, okay. are you free tonight? sir. do you need a dog? excuse me. does this one need a sibling? these are adoptable dogs. >> hey, guys. wait for me. you look like you need a dog, sir. >> let's just -- rusty, come say hi. rusty doesn't have a home or a mommy. >> oh. >> yeah. >> you look like you want one, though. >> i have five kids. >> you are already good. you are practiced. >> give your sad face. doesn't have a home. >> i wasn't able to find you a home today. oh, possibly my own home. but we are going to do a call-out because you are clearly an l.a. dog. we are going to find you an l.a.

home. if you are watching, please give rusty a home. >> and if you are in the l.a. area and you need to adopt a pet, pets without borders has tons of dogs. >> how sweet. >> thank you, sara. are you ready to stretch your stuff? >> we have lingerie for him and her. >> oh, how exciting. >> awe uh-huh. ♪ na na na na na ♪ i woke up to a new day ♪ every little thing gonna go my way ♪ ♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] we've added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural shredded cheese so you can bring a creamier melt to any morning. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've found ♪ ♪

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♪ looking for some hot stuff, baby, this evening ♪ ♪ i need some hot stuff >> or you could put on a little something to satiate there are other kinds of appetite. >> lindsey has just what you need to unwrap on valentine's day. for guys and for girls. >> yes. thank you, guys. welcome to l.a. >> i love it.

i love it. >> so you've got four hot looks for valentine's day, right? >> yes. >> first up is kind of a fun and flirty look. this is the essential neglige. >> we're taking to the bedroom today. >> hello. >> she's wearing the neglige that i think flatters most body types. this is from the toy. >> so cool. >> you can full on just wear the little -- >> yep. >> flatters your bust. we like that. shows a little leg without showing too much. and then -- >> what about david? >> comfy, cozy, easy black. >> yeah, this is very nice. it looks nice. if she feels comfortable, sexy, without showing too much zoosh affordable? >> $58. >> who cares? >> right? >> thank you, guys. >> thank you. >> the next look we have taylor. she's in a basic black bra and spiced it up, and she's with sam. >> i think this is a great way. she just -- we just matched the shorts to the bra.

it's easy. it kind of gives that girl next door fantasy, and she's wearing pj salvage shorts, and her bra is calvin klein, $30 bra, and then our guy is wearing classic pajama pants from michael kors. >> a brave girl today. >> you look great. you look great. thanks, taylor. thank you, sam. >> very good, you guys. >> let's get some red hot -- >> you have taylor. >> yes, so taylor is wearing a sexier version of the classic pajama. she has $148 for the set, and you can find them at nordstrom's, and we pop the button and show a little cleavage. >> hello. >> you can cover up, or just let the girls out a little bit, which is what we did. >> what kind of a bra does she have on? >> a demi-lace bra with a little jewel. show the jewel off. then we have polo boxers. >> those are comfy. >> yeah. ralph lauren. >> all right. >> those are adorable. great, you guys. >> thank you.

>> satin is really sexy on your skin and thank you, guys. >> always. >> thank you. >> all right. let's bring out our last look. we have suzanne and stephan. come on up, kiddos. >> so susan is wearing -- this is easy. if you want to be a little covered up and maybe show off the bum and the legs. short little shorts by juicy. the top is $58, and the bottoms are $48. and our guy right here, steven, is wearing shorts by tipton. >> none of the guys have any body hair. >> no. >> is that what happens? >> they are very manicured. yes. they are very -- >> manscape issing totally in. >> yes. >> waxing? what happens here? >> he is like that. >> notice, he is not miked. >> where did you put it? >> thank you, guys. thank you. thanks so much. >> thank you very much. >> we're ready for valentine's day. >> yes, we are. >> thank you. >> what's coming up, hoda woman?

>> why? >> we're doing a thing, and you're going to like it. first, this is "today" on nbc. so... [ gasps ]

these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence. i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. [ man ] excuse me miss. [ gasps ] this fiber one 90 calorie brownie has all the deliciousness you desire. the brownie of your dreams is now deliciously real.

>> sometimes you get wine -- >> we are going to test it out. nobody knows better than we do about our wine. here is the lovely gals. we have six budget-friendly california convenient vinos. >> susan and her sister molly. >> welcome to you two beautiful ladies. >> all afford, delicious wines. >> okay. >> let's get started. >> chardonnay. jack hammer. beautiful lime. tropical fruit on the note. let's just go if. forget the notes.

>> is that a chardonnay? >> 100% chardonnay. great with fish tacos. bright and friendly. >> it's gorgeous. >> okay. next one is dancing coyote. this is from clarksburg. family has been making wine for five generations. this is a piano greejo. it's a black fish wine. >> breakfast. >> brunch wine. >> it is perfect with eggs. i have to say. >> delicious. >> delicious. >> okay. i love that. >> that is so good. that's a little aromatic. now we're getting really aromatic. really smell this. banyan. gerwertsminer. ates polarizing grape. >> it polarizes people. >> don't be scared of it. this is the perfect wine for indian food or thai food. >> it's sweet. >> with spicy food, and it will

shine. >> it's a sweet wine. >> it's lower in acidity so it tastes sweet, and it's beautiful. >> that's very nice. >> kath lines up the glasses. >> she can't help it. >> ocd. >> what is this? >> this is husband india and millie. it's a cab. it's organic grapes. you feel good drinking it. organic grapes. this is a great picnic red. really romantic. it's not a heavy cab. >> not at all. there's no after taste or acidity. breakfast. >> breakfast. i can't believe -- by the way, i can't believe these are $15. >> $11.99 for this one. not kidding. >> next one is dexter lake. look at this label. it's super fun. >> thank you. >> anything with a mustache. >> pinot noir. >> petite blanc. >> well, it doesn't take itself

too seriously, which is what we love about this wine. also, organic and sustainable grapes. >> is that important to you ladies? or do you give a rip? >> we drink so much, you better. >> when you drink like we do, we -- >> we've been there. line these babies up. there you go. >> the last one is called the pessimist. >> oh. this is paso robles. this is right off the coast. >> last summer. i was there for a music festival. the can tinas. >> sara, nice of you to join us. >> we think it's the best way to end a drinking segment is with a little party. ♪

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